More New Yorkers see sports betting as bad for the state, Siena poll finds

ALBANY – More New Yorkers, by 39% to 22%, believe  sports betting is bad for the state than good, according to a new poll released Wednesday by Siena University.

But attitudes toward sports gambling vary by age and household income.

In short, the lesser the income and the younger the age, the greater the support for sports betting. And the more likely you are to place a bet, the survey found. And far more males bet than females.

“We are seeing a generational gap in those who participate in and support sports betting,” said Travis Brodbeck, the associate director of data management at the Siena Research Institute, in a statement. “Not only are many young New Yorkers placing bets of their own, but they also view the issues surrounding sports betting through a different lens than older residents.”

Siena surveyed 814 New Yorkers from July 1-8 and the poll has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points, meaning the answers to any one question could vary that much.

In the survey, Siena found:

• 39% say sports betting is bad for New York; 22% say it’s good; 31% said they were undecided, and 8% had no opinion.
• The group most critical of sports betting is residents 65 years old or greater, who opposed it 61% to 12%. The most supportive group is those 35 to 49 years old, of whom 29% said sports betting is good and 27% said bad.
• By income, the least critical are those who earn $50,000 or less: 28% said sports betting is bad for the state and 19% said it’s good. Among those earning $100,000 or more, 49% said bad, 24% good.
• By age bracket, 40% of New Yorkers 18-34 years old placed a bet last year, compared with 29% of those 35-49, 16% of those 50-64 and 7% of those 65 or older.
• Overall 37% of men surveyed said they’d placed a bet, compared with 14% of women.
• Of those who placed a bet, 84% did so online, 41% said a casino and 24% an old-fashioned bookie.
• New Yorkers are split on ads and commentary doing sports broadcasts; 44% said ads should be allowed and 43% said no.
• Among those 50 years old and more, 50% said ads should be prohibited and 62% said broadcasters’ commentary about betting was bad for sports.
• Among those younger than 50, 36% said ads should be prohibited and 44% said commentary about betting during broadcasts was bad for sports.
• 49% of bettors said sports gambling was good for New York compared to 14% of non-bettors.

Said Brodbeck: “Attitudes towards sports betting varies greatly based on one’s participation with online sports betting.”

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy