Friday, October 12, 2007

Poll: Opposition to Slots Grows, 52% Say City Council Should Vote "No"

ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Oct. 12, 2007) -

A new Abbotsford-wide poll released today found a majority of the city's voters believe Abbotsford city council should vote-down the proposal to bring slot-machines into town. A total of 52% of those surveyed said they believe city council should reject the proposal (up 3% over the last two weeks), while 36% said they should accept it (down 4%), and 12% are undecided (up 2%). The question asked was "Do you think city council should accept the proposal to install up to 125 slot machines in the bingo hall, or reject it?" When asked "Have you heard of a proposal to install up to 125 slot machines in the Abbotsford bingo hall?" some 75% of those surveyed said Yes.

"The results of this independent scientific poll make it clear that the majority of Abbotsford voters do not want slot-machines brought into the city. By allowing this proposal to pass through first-reading, Abbotsford city council has shown it's on the wrong-side of the voting populace. This is now the second poll we have commissioned on this issue, and the results from both polls show the "No" side is predominant by a large margin," said Trish Kolsto, president of Abbotsford Families United.

In response to the question "Did you know that several non-profit societies in Abbotsford receive a portion of their annual funding from gambling revenues generated by the BC Lottery Corporation?" a total of 72% of those surveyed said Yes. "Apparently, the voters of Abbotsford understand that certain non-profit groups may be affected by this issue, yet they are still strongly opposed to slots," said Trish Kolsto. Of the 300 voters surveyed, 92% said they plan to vote in next year's Abbotsford municipal election. Abbotsford city council is considering a proposal to bring slot machines into the city. The independent telephone poll of 300 voters in Abbotsford was conducted October 6th and 9th by Winnipeg-based NRG Research Group, a leading North American public opinion company. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 5.6 percentage points. The poll was paid for by Abbotsford Families United. The entire poll can be accessed at www.AbbotsfordFamilies.org.
-----------------------

No comments: