Operators of video lottery terminals in Hancock, West Virginia, called LVLs are asking the Hancock County Commission to remove the ban on smoking at their businesses. They are joined by the Mountaineer Park slots parlor.
The ban, in effect since July 2015 has caused revenues to plummet and led to hundreds of layoffs.
Former Mountaineer Park CEO Ted Arneault, who now consults for the casino, told the State Journal “The commission has, in our opinion, complete authority to issue an order to the health board to exempt video lottery licensees from the health act. They’re looking at that now.”
Hancock Commissioner Jeff Davis told the Journal that he has been concerned by the decline in lottery profits, which showed a “significant” drop since July 2015. “My position, and it’s not going to change, is that I’ve always hoped the health department would exempt any establishment with an ABCC license, which would mean casinos, the LVL cafes and bars,” he said.
Arneault estimates that the Mountaineer’s revenues have declined so that it is paying $50 million less to the state every year. “The numbers are huge; the job losses are huge and the impact on promoting new businesses is significant,” he said.
