...poll finds nearly 60% oppose....

From Chicago --

Opposition to video gambling has softened in the last six years, but nearly 60 percent of Illinois voters say they would cast a ballot to ban poker machines in their local bars and restaurants if given the chance....

The poll found that 58 percent of voters would vote against legalized video gambling in a local referendum, while just 34 percent would support it. Opposition was about 60 percent from voters in suburban Cook County, the collar counties and Downstate, while 49 percent of Chicago voters said they would vote against it and 42 percent for it.

State officials estimate that as many as 45,000 legal poker machines could eventually be up and running across Illinois, bringing in $300 million a year in tax revenue.