67% of US citizens oppose Internet gambling

Yet the poll also found 62 % of those surveyed have gambled at a casino at least once. One in three respondents said they or someone in their household had visited a casino within the past year, and one in five participated in an office betting pool.

The telephone poll surveyed more than 1,000 people randomly chosen across the country, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

44% of those surveyed said legalized sports betting is a bad idea because it can promote excessive gambling and can corrupt sports. But 39 % said that because so many people bet illegally on sports already, it should be allowed and taxed by the government. Besides, 67% of respondents oppose legalizing Internet betting.

New Jersey is suing U.S. Justice Department to overturn a law that restricts sports betting to only four states — Nevada, where Las Vegas sports books determine the odds for sporting events across the country; Delaware; Montana; and Oregon. Only Nevada and Delaware currently offer it. "I'm heavily in favor of sports betting," Muro said. "You get more into the games, you follow them more closely, and you're more in tune with all the statistics."

The government carved out a special exemption for New Jersey in 1992, giving it a window to decide if it wanted legal sports betting, but the state failed to enact a law that would have done so.

Poll director Peter Woolley said public opinion on sports betting could change quickly. "Keep your eye on these numbers," he said. "If some states allow sports betting and profit by it, other states will want to follow."

The poll found 46 % think casinos have a negative effect on the surrounding community, while 38 % said they have a positive effect. It also found Las Vegas is the first place that comes to mind when people think of gambling, with 54 % of respondents naming it first. Atlantic City was a distant second at just 7 %, followed by Reno, Nevada, and Connecticut at 2 % each.

In terms of perception, most major gambling resorts in the U.S. got positive ratings. Las Vegas got 49 % positive versus 23 % negative; Atlantic City was ranked 46 % positive and 26 % negative; and New Orleans scored 43 % positive and 25 % negative.

Other gambling destinations scoring positively were St. Louis (35 %; Biloxi, Mississippi (31 %); and Shreveport, Louisiana. (25 %). Other smaller markets like Connecticut, where Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun operate; Tunica, Mississippi, and Chicagoland in Illinois were ranked about evenly in terms of positive and negative perception, with a majority of poll respondents having no opinion of them either way.

Only Detroit got a negative rating, with 32 % of respondents viewing the Motor City and its three casinos negatively, compared with 17 % who viewed the city positively.