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Pennsylvanians Don't Want Gambling Near Gettysburg

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 19, 2006 - 9:32am

As long as there are disputes in public, there will be polling conducted to gauge public sentiment. Pollsters bank on it.
And so it's not surprising that Pennsylvanians have been subjected to two surveys on their thoughts about whether a proposed casino with 5,000 slot machines should be allowed to open for business roughly a mile from Gettysburg National Military Park.
The latest poll on this question, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research in late October, found that 64 percent of the 625 respondents opposed the casino. Fifty-three percent of those questioned thought placing a casino so close to Gettysburg would be an embarrassment to the entire state of Pennsylvania.
“Many Pennsylvanians recognize that a casino so close to a place of quiet contemplation and remembrance will be a blemish on the reputation of the Commonwealth,” says Adrian Fine, a spokesman for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A year ago the first poll on this question found that 65 percent of the respondents opposed the casino.
If you're interested in more information on the proposal, and the opposition, check out the No Casino Gettysburg web site.

Comments

Submitted by Alan (not verified) on November 22, 2006 - 4:57pm.
Pennsylvania is opening casinos under the stated banner of reducing citizens' property taxes. Most independent analyses show a whopping $200 tax reduction for most folks in the state. There are lots of good arguments against gambling in general (and let's call it what it is, gambling, not "gaming"). Add the sacredness of the terra firma at Gettysburg when debating the question of whether there ought to be a casino anywhere near the park.