Casino news source: St. Louis Today - http://www.stltoday.com
Ill. House to take up casino smoking ban issue
By Erik Potter
POST-DISPATCH SPRINGFIELD BUREAU
06/25/2007
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Casino advocates and others are attempting to restart a failed plan that would allow smoking on Illinois riverboats after an expected statewide ban takes effect next year.
The Illinois Senate voted down legislation last month that would have given casinos a five-year exemption on the smoking ban. But the issue resurfaced last week when a House committee approved a similar proposal. That measure now moves to the House floor.
The statewide ban, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would otherwise affect every indoor public facility in the state, with narrow exceptions for nursing homes and hotels.
The proposed exemption is aimed at protecting the casino industry, which said it expects to see a 20 percent decline in revenue if the ban applied to riverboats. That revenue drop would also affect the amount of tax money that flows from the boats to their host communities, such as East St. Louis and Alton, prompting legislative interest. Advertisement
"I'm just trying to look out for my district and economic development," said Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, the sponsor of the House bill.
Verschoore, who represents Rock Island, is worried the potential revenue loss for casinos could get in the way of the Rock Island riverboat's multimillion dollar plan to build a new casino and hotel.
Outside of casino areas, however, there may not be wider state support for a casino exemption.
The American Cancer Society last Thursday released the results of a statewide poll it commissioned that showed only 29 percent of Illinois registered voters approve of exempting casinos from a statewide smoking ban, while 62 percent disapprove.
"This is not a small exemption if you're the casino worker that has to give up your health for the sake of a paycheck," said Michael Grady of the American Cancer Society. "We shouldn't be creating different classes of workers — they're all worthy of protection."
Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, questioned the benefit to employees of a ban that could cost some of them their jobs.
"Some of the other areas that had the smoking ban … there's been significant loss of staff," Swoik said, adding that new casino projects, like the Casino Queen, employ high-tech ventilation systems and high ceilings to reduce the amount of second-hand smoke in the air.
The bill is SB1370. |
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