At a recent public hearing, the five-member Hancock County Board of Health in West Virginia heard comments both for and against its proposal to ban smoking in casinos as well as bars, clubs, outdoor community festivals and other venues. If the board approves the proposal, the county would become the 28th of the state’s 55 counties to adopt a total ban on smoking in public places.
Employees from Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort attended to express their opposition. They’re worried that the casino will lose business if smoking is banned, which could lead to layoffs. Last year the casino had a payroll of $26 million and paid $100 million in state and local taxes.
Mountaineer General Manager Chris Kern acknowledged that Americans are increasingly smoke-free. However, he said West Virginia may not be ready for that yet. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 28 percent of adult West Virginians smoke, second only to Kentucky’s 28.3 percent of adult smokers. Kern noted Mountaineer has smoke-free restaurants, a smoke-free slots parlor and recently spent $900,000 on an air cleaning system.
Cynthia Hallet, executive director of Americans for Non-Smokers Rights, said studies show that going smoke-free actually helps business at bars and casinos. “This is an age-old argument. Business, at worst, remains the same or better after these places go smoke-free. Four out of five gamblers don’t smoke,” she said. However, Steven Norton, a former casino executive and consultant to the gaming industry, said that didn’t happen when Illinois banned smoking on riverboat casinos. “An analysis I prepared covers the immediate 12-month period after the ban in January 2008. The result was a 21.8 percent casino revenue decline, 14.1 percent fewer patrons, a 9 percent decline in per-capita win and a 32.8 percent reduction in casino taxes,” Norton said.
Jackie Huff, health administrator for Hancock County, said the board has “50 years of surgeon general reports” documenting the dangers of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. “We have the Mountaineer Casino here, and their job is to promote and protect the casino, while we in public health feel our job is to protect the health of every citizen in Hancock County,” she said.
Eighteen-year Mountaineer slots worker Lori Danver said, “I just don’t know how five people can ban smoking. It’s our livelihood.” Mountaineer regular and shopping plaza manager Eddie Majoris said, “Isn’t this communism? If they do that, this place will lose big time. Juanita Advani, of Akron, Ohio, bypasses smoke-free casinos in Ohio to come to Mountaineer “at least once a month. It’s my body. You take away the smoking, and I’m not coming back,” Advani said, adding she would go to Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in southern New York, which permits smoking.
