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By Jim DeBrosse, Staff Writer Updated 10:42 PM Saturday, October 24, 2009

In past years, support for casino issues dropped as Election Day got closer, but that hasn’t happened so far this year.

A Dayton Daily News/Ohio Newspaper Poll released today, Oct. 25, found 57 percent of registered voters supporting Issue 3, with 39 percent opposed.

That’s similar to a poll from a month ago, when registered voters favored the issue by 59 percent to 38 percent.

“The environment has never been this positive this late in the game,” said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the Institute of Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati, which conducted both polls.

Issue 3 would allow one gambling casino each in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati. The poll found a majority of voters supporting the issue in each of the four regions in the state, with the strongest support — 66 percent — coming in southwest Ohio.

Rademacher believes that’s because more voters here are familiar with the casinos in Indiana and feel the area would benefit from one in Cincinnati. It could also mean there are more Democrats in southwest Ohio, he said. Democrats in the poll were more likely to support the issue than Republicans, 67 percent to 48 percent.

“There’s just too much of our money going out of state, and we ought to keep it,” explained Dale Dues, 57, of Minster, who plans to vote “yes.”

Bonnie Clayton, 58, of Bellbrook summed up the feelings of many Dayton-area voters. “If it creates jobs and makes money for the schools, that’s fine,” she said. “If you don’t like gambling, don’t go.”

But Jennifer Wiggins of Centerville said she hasn’t decided yet because the nearest casino would be in Cincinnati.

“If they were to put a casino in Dayton or the surrounding area, that would change my mind,” she said. “They keep saying it will bring more jobs to Ohio. We need jobs here in Dayton.”

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