SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House decided Tuesday to bet big on the idea that riverboat casinos could rake in more money if gamblers were allowed to smoke.
The House approved legislation that would exempt
casinos from the statewide smoking ban if they operate near a neighboring state
that permits smoking in casinos.
Supporters of the bill, which was sent to the
Senate 62-52, said Illinois casinos are losing business to competitors in
Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.
Opponents, however, said Illinois barred workplace
smoking to protect employees. They say casino workers should not be forced to
choose between their jobs and their health.
Rep. Daniel Burke backed the smoking ban in 2008
but is now sponsoring the casino exemption, which would expire if neighboring
states banned smoking.
"Let's be real — this is not about the smoking
issue. This is about the money," the Chicago Democrat said during floor
debate. "How dare you put (casinos) at a competitive disadvantage during
this unfortunate economic time?"
Similar legislation passed the House last year but
stalled in the Senate, which Burke blamed on an opponent signing on as sponsor
and then sidelining the bill. He said that won't happen again.
Tom Swoik, executive director of Illinois Casino
Gaming Association, said gambling revenue has dropped 32 percent since the
smoking ban was approved. He said the ban probably accounts for one-third to
one-half of that and has cost state government about $800 million in taxes.
Swoik said Illinois casinos saw a 21 percent
revenue drop the first year of the smoking ban. At the same time Indiana casino
revenues dropped 6 percent and Missouri 4 percent, while Iowa increased by a
fraction of a percent.
However, Kathy Drea, lobbyist for the American Lung
Association in Illinois, said the state has saved $1.18 billion in
heart-related healthcare costs since the smoking ban went into effect.
She and others argued that customers may be able to
decide whether they want to gamble at a casino that allows smoking, but
employees generally can't.
"When representatives talk about choice here,
we're talking about workers who don't have a lot of choice," said Rep. Ann
Williams, D-Chicago.
Swoik said many casinos have taken steps to reduce
the health dangers by installing modern ventilation systems. But Swoik
acknowledged he didn't know whether those systems remove cancer-causing
material from the air.
Drea said the ventilation systems only produce a
cosmetic improvement. She said air quality levels at the Casino Queen in East
St. Louis were still "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy"
according to the Environmental Protection Agency even after the ventilation
system was in place.
Drea also repeatedly called Burke a liar for saying
in debate that Indiana has given its casinos an exemption from that state's
smoking ban. Actually, Indiana does not ban smoking in the workplace.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
