Back on February 1, I wrote an article called Why New Jersey will get its online gambling law. Many in the industry were worried by Governor Chris Christie’s lack of swift response and thought that he was considering vetoing the bill. Unlike most, I took a firm stand and said that the bill will become law, either due to Christie’s signature or due to the 45-day time limit.

Since then, things have changed a little. I still think that the bill will become law and stand by my earlier article. I don’t think Christie, who insists he is not running for president in 2012, much cares about the establishment GOP’s opinions on gambling, and I don’t think he cares to see the federal government regulate the industry instead. Since he has already signed several pro-gambling bills, signing one more certainly wouldn’t affect his electability. A recent development has left me not quite as certain as before, though.

A recent poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s opinion research center, PublicMind, said that a majority of New Jersey residents oppose online gambling. According to the study, 67% of respondents are opposed to online gambling while only 26% say that they favor it. The difference between men and women isn’t as large as you would imagine, either. The poll found that 62% of men are against online gambling, compared to 71% of women.

Interestingly, those same people are okay with sports betting. The study says that 62% of New Jersey residents favor allowing sports betting in Atlantic City, with 70% of men supporting it. In both cases, there seems to be little difference between the opinions of Democrats, Republicans and independent voters. So why are these people okay with gambling but afraid of doing it over the Internet?

The polling data is surprising and, as far as I’m concerned, gives the first legitimate reason for a Christie veto. I don’t think he would cave to Republican politicians or to Caesars Entertainment, but if the majority of his state’s residents oppose the bill, that gives him a good justification for vetoing it.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Christie now has until March 3 to make a decision on the bill, due to a loophole in the law that allows him to wait until the next legislative session.

Tags: Christie veto gambling bill, New Jersey online gambling

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