SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House voted Tuesday to lift a smoking ban in all of the state’s casinos during a debate that pitted the health of bettors and casino workers against hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues. The proposal, which passed 62-52 and now moves to the state Senate, represents a significant softening of the state’s 2008 anti-smoking law that banned tobacco use in virtually all indoor public areas. “Ladies and gentleman, if we’re serious about our budget crisis in Illinois, let’s be real. This is not about the smoking issue. This is about the money,” sa ... Jump to full article >>

Illinois lawmakers played the charade for a while that all indoor workers in the state should be protected by a smoking ban. Now, however, lawmakers are starting to change their tune, recommending that casino workers be put back at risk for the dangers of secondhand smoke. Two new bills have passed by a House Committee on Wednesday, and both are aimed at ensuring that casinos can offer smoking in their establishments in the near future. The first bill would allow individual areas to hand out smoking licenses, and the other would allow casinos to offer smoking indoors. The second of the proposa ... Jump to full article >>

One year after the new tobacco control law passed first reading at the Legislative Assembly (AL), the Government has sent a second draft for lawmakers to analyse. The new proposal allows casinos to set up designated smoking areas but removes the exemptions for saunas, massage lounges and dance halls initially proposed. According to the draft sent to the AL on Friday, casinos have a one-year period to create smoking areas “up to a maximum of 50 percent of the total public area, as long as they are physically separated from the remaining facilities”. These designated areas will also have to ... Jump to full article >>

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KTIV) – Besides candidates South Dakota voters will decide four different ballot issues when they go to the polls on November 2nd. One would ban smoking in restaurants, bars, and most casinos. It passed the legislature in 2009 and was signed by the governor. But, opponents want it decided by the people. For the past eight years, South Dakota has banned smoking in most public buildings and work places. But with Referred Law 12, it’ll expand to include all restaurants, bars, video lottery establishments and Deadwood Casinos. Mary Michaels, American Heart Associati ... Jump to full article >>

Bingo and casino operator Rank Group is enjoying a “positive start to the year” as punters flock to its casinos. Like-for-like group sales in the last four months rose 4pc, driven by online sales and its Grosevnor Casinos division, where longer opening hours saw the number of customer visits increase by 7pc. Rank has rebranded many of its casinos as “G Casinos” to appeal to those who want a night out as well as a bet and plans to open 20 of the venues by the end of 2012. Rank said its G Casinos attract “significantly higher levels of customer visits”. The c ... Jump to full article >>

ANTI-SMOKING groups have called on the State Government to stand up to gambling lobbyists and ban smoking in Star City casino’s seven high-roller rooms. They say the NSW Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, should not let Labor’s close ties with pubs and clubs – which have donated about $3.7 million to the party since the 2007 election – dictate public health policy. The NSW Health Minister has granted year-long exemptions to Star City every year since 2004. Campaigners are fed up with the excuse that Star City will lose high-stakes international gamblers to the other state ... Jump to full article >>

Do Michigan lawmakers really want to take a position that it is OK to kill casino workers as long as there are some jobs saved in the process? Apparently so. Both the Senate and the House broke though a long stalemate yesterday to approve a bill that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants. The governor was expected to sign it. But there is a catch. The ban comes with exemptions for casinos. Apparently that was the only way to reach a compromise between Democrats, who generally want the ban but don’t want to hurt casino business, and Republicans, some of whom may have been playing poli ... Jump to full article >>

Gamblers play in the smoking areas of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in November 2008 in Atlantic City. Councilman Dennis Mason announced Wednesday that City Council will not consider a full smoking ban in casinos for at least two years. ATLANTIC CITY — Casino workers hoping to see a full ban on smoking in their work place will have to wait another two years just to debate issue with the city. Councilman Dennis Mason announced Wednesday that the city will not continue discussions about outlawing smoking in local gaming halls until the end of 2011, a decision made in private after a coun ... Jump to full article >>

When Montana’s smoking ban went into full effect Oct. 1, it hit some businesses hard and left others virtually unscathed. In general, establishments that catered specifically to the gambling crowd suffered most. “Some little bars did well, but some, absolutely no one’s coming in,” said Steve Arntzen, chief operating officer for Century Gaming. The Billings-based business accounts for 25 percent of the video gaming machines in Montana. “Where gaming is secondary, those places haven’t been impacted nearly as much.” [caption id="attachment_3698" align="alignleft" width="300" caption ... Jump to full article >>

Paul Kieselhorst, of Maplewood, enjoys a cigarette at Tiffanys Diner, the day after the smoking ban passed. “It should be left up to the business owner and the customer,” Kieselhorst said. “I’m opposed to that kind of government intervention.” The lopsided vote on Tuesday to prohibit smoking in most public places in St. Louis County could spell a quick reversal of the ban’s exemption for casino gambling floors, a member of the County Council said Wednesday. About two-thirds of county voters favored the ban, which will take effect on Jan. 2, 2011. A city ban, ... Jump to full article >>

ATLANTIC CITY – The city official who was among the most vocal supporters of a resort-wide smoking ban now wants it off the table. Calling it a restriction is really more accurate. No matter what local lawmakers decide, certain casino lounges likely could continue to allow smoking, Councilman Bruce Ward said Wednesday. “Smoking is outlawed in every workplace in New Jersey except casinos,” he said. City Council likely will vote next week on exactly how to limit lighting up on casino floors, according to Councilman Dennis Mason. Local laws prohibited smoking at gaming halls for ... Jump to full article >>