Harrah's Survey 2004 has recently revealed a profile of the American gambler bases his/her political attitudes.

Gamblers likely to vote for Democrats, Harrah’s survey reports

Harrah's Survey 2004, based on three studies such as the National Profile Study, the U.S. Gaming Panel and the 2004 World Series of Poker, has recently revealed a profile of the American gambler. This year’s research, unveiled by Casinocitytimes.com includes a new area, which focuses on politics and its correlation to gamblers.

According to the survey, more than 53 million American adults - 26 percent of those 21 and older - made 310 million casino visits in 2003. Gamblers, more commonly than non-gamblers were found to have donated money to a political candidate or cause (26 percent vs. 19 percent) and to have signed a petition in support of a political candidate or cause (51 percent vs. 42 percent) in the past four years. In no category of political activism were non-gamblers shown to be more engaged than casino gamblers.

Eighty percent of casino gamblers said they "definitely" will vote in November, compared to 77 percent of non-gamblers. A "mostly Democratic" point of view was shared by 34 percent of gamblers compared to 27 percent of non-gamblers. At the same time, 31 percent of casino gamblers described themselves as "mostly Republican" as opposed to 34 percent of non-gamblers. 14 percent of gamblers and 17 percent of non-gamblers consider themselves to be "complete independents."

Both gamblers and non-gamblers think that the economy is the single most important issue in the upcoming election, followed by domestic security and the war in Iraq. They say, that honesty/integrity should be the most important characteristic of a presidential candidate.

Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and chief executive officer commented on the release of their research: "For years, ‘The Profile of the American Casino Gambler’ has dispelled long-standing myths about gamblers' lifestyles, socioeconomic status and community involvement. We already knew that gamblers are more active vacationers, investors and restaurant- and movie-goers. With this year's survey we now know that gamblers are also enthusiastic participants in politics and a significant political constituency."

There were also some other interesting highlights, which were revealed by the study. For example, casino gamblers are found to have greater confidence than non-gamblers in government, business and other institutions, such as the military, banks/financial institutions, local law enforcement bodies, the U.S. Supreme Court, public schools, organized labour, and the criminal justice system.

The median household income of U.S. casino gamblers ($53,204) is 16 percent higher than that of non-gamblers ($45,781). More than three-quarters of casino players own their homes, compared to 71 percent of non-gamblers. The typical casino player is about the same age as the typical American: The median age of casino gamblers is 48 vs. 46 for the adult U.S. population.

Gamblers are more likely than non-gamblers to have a variety of common investments, including savings accounts, life insurance, retirement/pension plans, mutual funds, stocks, real estate, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, bonds and annuities.

The survey also discovered gaming preferences among the gamblers. The most popular game among both men and women is slot/video poker machines. At the same time, men prefer table games by a margin of more than two-to-one over women (20 percent to 8 percent), with blackjack/21 is the single most popular table game. Younger adults are most likely to play table games, with 18 percent of 21 to 35-year-olds reporting they play table games most often.

No Limit Texas Hold 'Em is the favourite game among both professionals and amateurs. Professionals have played poker for an average of 24 years; amateurs have been playing for an average of 23 years. The main reason for poker players to gamble is money, but some also said they play for the challenge (32 percent of professionals and 39 percent of amateurs).

Professional and amateur players consider Howard Lederer the best Limit poker player in the world; they consider T.J. Cloutier the best No Limit player in the world.

Professionals believe tournament play is 66 percent skill and 34 percent luck; amateurs believe tournament play is 65 percent skill and 35 percent luck.