A recent Don Anderson poll has found that Jamaicans are sharply divided on the long controversial issue of gambling. 500 persons, aged 18 years and over, from all parts of the island, were surveyed between between May 3 and 14 this year. The poll was conducted on behalf of the Ecumenical Family Life Council in order to determine how Jamaicans feel about morality and other social behaviour issues.

Asked to indicate whether or not they agreed with the statement “gambling is acceptable”, 43 per cent overall agreed that there was no real problem with gambling per se, and indicated that this is an acceptable form of behaviour. Those persons who were particularly in favour of this view were males, over 53 per cent indicating so, as well as persons within the 35-44 age group and persons in the upper socio-economic strata.

On the other hand however, 56 per cent disagreed with the notion of the acceptability of gambling, and most notably, women, older persons and persons in the lower socio-economic class were largely the ones with this view.