New Jerseyans are wary of a state takeover of Atlantic City but in favor of the state ridding itself of horse racing, according to today's Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind poll conducted in the aftermath of Gov. Chris Christie announcing the recomendations of a gov's commision on gaming, sports and entertainment.

Fifty-six percent say it’s a good idea to privatize horse racetracks at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, while 55% say it’s a good idea to privatize the Izod Arena in the Meadowlands. Democrats and Republicans agree, as do voters in both north and south Jersey. 

Most people mostly won't endorse a state-run special casino and tourism district in Atlantic City, according to the poll.

Addressing a key recommendation in the Hanson Report, 48% of voters say state takeover is a bad idea, while 38% say it's a good idea. Republicans and Democrats agree that it is not a solution, but the results break differently geographically. Northerners by a 5-to-3 margin say it’s a bad idea, but voters in south Jersey split evenly on the question (43%-42%). Voters who have been to a casino in the past year are more likely to say it’s a good idea (42%) than voters who have not recently been to a casino (36%).

“The interests groups are all over it,” Donald Hoover, a professor in FDU’s International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and a former casino executive, said of the poll results.  “But for the public, the proposals are a surprise, complicated and haven’t sunk in yet.”  A majority (56%) say they’ve heard just a little or nothing about them.

While they don't like a state takeover there, a majority of those polled say gambling should be kept in Atlantic City, rather than licensed elsewhere in the state. Fifty-six percent prefer to confine gaming to A.C., while 34% say the state should develop other places. Sixty-three percent of those polled say their prefer AC as a destination. Eleven percent say they’d prefer to go to Pennsylvania for gaming, and 6% say they would rather go to Connecticut. About a third say they’ve been to a casino in the past 12 months: 4 of 5 of this group say that most recently they went to Atlantic City, according to the PublicMind poll.

Fifty-five percent to 20%, voters don't want to give more money for the completion of the Xanadu project in the Meadowlands. Democrats and Republicans agree that it’s a bad idea, as do north and south Jersey. 

“At least the public is consistent,” said Hoover. “They like private investors bearing costs, and in this economy the public is not in a mood to support state aid to privately owned projects.” 

Pollsters conducted the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 801 registered voters by telephone from July 27, 2010, through August 2, 2010. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.