Pennsylvanian state Representative Mario Scavello made the headlines last week when he gave notice of his intent to introduce a state law criminalising players who use online poker and casino websites to gamble, but a Google Poll-powered study of 500 adult Pennsylvanians this week may give him pause for thought.
Conducted by the independent poker information site Online Poker Report, the snap survey asked Pennsylvania players a straightforward question:
“PA State Rep. Mario Scavello wants to make playing online poker a crime punishable by jail time. Do you support or oppose his position?”
The overwhelming majority of young and older respondents (82.2 percent) said they opposed Scavello’s proposed measure, with only 17.8 percent supporting such a move.
If Scavello is successful in introducing and passing the proposed bill, which makes gambling on internet casino or poker sites a misdemeanour, he will be aligning his state with the draconian approach to online gambling adopted by Washington State – the only state to have specific laws on its books directly attacking its residents for online gambling.
See the full results and demographics of the OPR survey here: