Running Out of Luck?
The state may be taking a gamble by not exempting casinos and bingo parlors from the upcoming statewide smoking ban.
Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino and Gaming Association, predicts that casinos will lose as much as 20 percent of their revenues, and the state will lose $144 million in taxes.
He and many legislators pushed for casinos to be exempt from the Smoke Free Illinois Act, but gamblers will have to put out their cigarettes beginning Tuesday because the effort was unsuccessful.
"It's a tough situation to fight," Swoik said. "There is obviously a correlation between smoking and gambling."
As many as 70 percent of Illinois casino-goers smoke, Swoik estimated.
But Rob Stillwell, spokesman for Boyd Gaming, which owns the Par-A-Dice Riverboat Casino, said smokers will have "convenient options" at the Par-A-Dice. The casino has several heated and lighted smoking shelters that follow smoking ban requirements.
"We're excited about smoking options at our
facility," Stillwell said. "We believe they will minimize the inconvenience."
The Par-A-Dice will be smoke free at 11 p.m. Monday, an hour before the statewide ban goes into effect, because Stillwell said they want to ease smokers into the new law.
But the Par-A-Dice isn't the only place in central Illinois where gamblers will have to put out their cigarettes. Peoria's Off-Track Betting, located in Landmark Recreation Center, also draws many smokers, said manager Doug Holmes.
"I don't think there is any doubt we will have a loss of business," he said. "But we may gain some gamblers who want a smoke-free environment. It's a double-bladed sword."
Landmark is building a smoking patio 15-feet from the building to keep patrons who smoke. Holmes said the patio got a late start because the state just recently told him OTB wouldn't be exempt.
"They told us to hold out," he said. "And now we're scrambling at the last minute to show our patrons we're thinking about them."
Max Riddle, manager of Tazewell Bingo Center, said he is also thinking about his estimated 80 percent of customers who smoke.
"My patrons keep asking me what we are going to do," he said. "What can you do? You can vote against the people who voted for the law, but you still have to follow it."
Riddle said bingo will start 15 minutes earlier every night, allowing for an extra smoke break. He said the bingo center picked up business from Bloomington when it went smoke free a year ago, but Riddle said he will likely lose those customers. He is now hoping to gain non-smoking patrons who didn't come before the ban.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen," Riddle said. "It should be interesting, because now it's an even playing field."
Shirley Fryxell, of Peoria said she goes to Tazewell Bingo Center about once a week and always smokes when she plays. Though she likes to have a cigarette during bingo, she said the smoking ban won't keep her from playing - she just won't be as lucky.
"I'm not real superstitious," she said. "But it seems like if I don't smoke, I can't win."
Written by Erin Wood of the Journal Star
