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Opposition softening to gambling in Phila.

Philadelphia's resistance to casinos is gradually waning as the arrival of at least one gambling hall on the waterfront appears certain.

Philadelphia's resistance to casinos is gradually waning as the arrival of at least one gambling hall on the waterfront appears certain.

A poll of 1,602 people conducted in January by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 51 percent favored casino gambling in the city, consistent with results of 53 percent in April and 49 percent in January 2009. But it is the hard-line opposition that appears to be softening.

Those who declared themselves opposed to casinos in totaled 34 percent, a 9-percentage-point dip from January 2009, when 43 percent opposed casinos.

The poll also found 54 percent in favor of table games, with 32 percent opposed.

SugarHouse Casino is under construction on Delaware Avenue in Fishtown. Foxwoods Casino is months, if not years, from breaking ground along Christopher Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia.

A spokesman for Casino-Free Philadelphia, which leads the anti-casino fight in the city, noted that the poll also included questions about the city budget and taxes, so casinos might sound like a solution to those problems.

"We think what the poll is measuring is the effects of the massive amount of money casinos have spent on public relations and commercials," said Casino-Free spokesman Dan Hajdo.

SugarHouse spokeswoman Leigh Whitaker said, "We are excited about opening our casino this summer and finally beginning to generate millions of dollars in revenue to the city and commonwealth and create hundreds of new jobs."