Massachusetts could become the center of gambling in New England if it builds a destination resort casino and undercuts Rhode Island’s 61 percent tax on video lottery terminals, according to a public policy analyst at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Under such a scenario, “Massachusetts destination resort casinos and racetrack [video lottery terminal] parlors would command and dictate the future of gaming, entertainment and tourism within New England,” said Clyde W. Barrow, director of the Center for Policy Analysis at UMass Dartmouth.

Barrow made the comments in a news release announcing the results of a recent survey conducted by his center that found wide support for at least two destination resort casinos in Massachusetts.

The survey, commissioned by a real estate developer, found that support among suburban residents in Massachusetts is now stronger than that of city dwellers.

About 59 percent of suburban residents in Massachusetts would like to see the legislature approve two or more destination resort casinos, according to the survey. About 54 percent of urban residents expressed support, the center said.

Overall, 57 percent supported at least two casinos and 30 percent opposed such a plan, the center said.

The survey of 420 Massachusetts residents was paid for by Northeast Resorts Group, a real estate development firm that holds options on land in Palmer and New Bedford, both of which have been identified as potential casino sites, the center said. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent, the center said.

“It’s another piece of evidence that as state and financial fiscal problems mount and the economy sputters … suburbanites now view destination resort casinos as a critical component of the state’s fiscal and economic development strategies,” Barrow said.

There is strong support for casinos in Massachusetts among virtually all demographics, which is an “indication that residents may believe the House’s recent vote to reject Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino proposal squandered a unique opportunity to address critical and fiscal economic needs,” the center said in a news release.

“Massachusetts residents know they and fellow Bay Staters spend more than $1 billion every year at Connecticut casinos and Rhode Island slot parlors,” Barrow said.

tbarmann@projo.com