US gaming venues get to grips with smoking ban
Casino operators across the sate of Ilinois are coming to terms with the newly-introduced ban on smoking in public places, with many arguing that player numbers and revenues will slump significantly over the coming weeks.
The new ban prohibits smoking inside or within 15 feet of any public building within the state.
In the run-up to the New Year’s introduction of the legislation, a number of gaming venues constructed special smoking patios for their patrons, with the Casino Queen in St Louis introducing a new smoking lounge alongside its slots rooms.
At the same time, venues in the Canadian province of Alberta has widely reported that they have yet to see a fall in visitor numbers after a ban on smoking was passed there.
Among the many other US states where the smoking ban has come into effect is Colorado, where gambling operators fear customers may spend their money on making the relatively short trip to Las Vegas, where lighting up is still permitted.
