All Over Albany

There's Derek Jeter... and everyone else

In the Siena poll out today 57 percent of New Yorkers said they would support a constitutional amendment to allow casinos not owned by Native Americans to be built in the state -- 36 percent said they oppose it. Respondents seemed to think that the casinos would bring more jobs (78 percent agree) and government revenue (71 percent) -- but also increase problems such as crime and compulsive gambling (54 percent).

A few other bits, about the state's apparently undying love for Derek Jeter, MMA, and sports betting...

(The full results from poll.)

+ 48 percent said they side with opponents of legalizing MMA (mixed martial arts) bouts in the state. 39 percent said they side with supporters.

+ Favorite sport? Football (30 percent), baseball (23 percent), basketball (14).

+ The Yankees are the most popular sports team in the state -- 38 percent said the Yanks are their favorite (28 percent) or second favorite team. The Giants were #2 at 21 percent. (Interesting: Manchester United actually charted on this list -- at 1 percent.)

+ Derek Jeter is far and away the most popular athlete -- 25 percent of respondents said he's their favorite (in an earlier Siena poll Jeter ranked #1 as the "single greatest athlete of all time that played for a New York team or that you associate with sports in New York.") Second on the list: "don't know." Third: Eli Manning (3 percent).

+ 45 percent of respondents said they've "placed a bet or entered some kind of pool for money" at least once on some kind of sporting event.

+ But 49 percent said they've entered a Super Bowl pool. (Also: 73 percent said they've never been part of a NCAA basketball pool -- sure, right, because you would never do that in the office.)

+ 61 percent of respondents said they've gambled at a race track.