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Rank Sales Drop Eases on Casino, Bingo-Hall Visits (Update1) 

Rank Group Plc, owner of the U.K.'s second-largest bingo-hall chain and Grosvenor Casinos, said a sales decline eased after managers took steps to counter a decline in customer numbers caused by a ban on indoor smoking.

Revenue fell 8 percent at outlets open at least a year in 2008's first 17 weeks, the Maidenhead, England-based company said today in a statement. That was less than the 10 percent slide in the first eight weeks. Cost-savings have strengthened the company's ``profit performance,'' it said.

Rank opened sheltered outdoor gaming areas and installed electronic gear that permits remote play at its bingo halls to counter a fall in sales after England barred indoor smoking in public places in July. The company is vulnerable to prohibitions on tobacco use because about half of bingo players smoke, twice the rate of the general populace, according to executives.

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Casinos, bars might escape smoking ban 

Casinos, private clubs and smaller bars and taverns appear to be winning their fights for exceptions from a bill to ban smoking from most indoor facilities in Pennsylvania.

Sources close to talks said all three groups might escape the statewide ban.

But smoking could be banished at restaurants, offices, other workplaces and public facilities such as stadiums or government buildings.

These are the elements of legislation being developed by a panel of six lawmakers from the state House and Senate.

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Culver: Cities Have 'Enormous Power' To Expand Smoking Ban 

During his visit, Culver commented on Sioux City's proposed ban on smoking at Argosy Casino.

Council member Brent Hoffman made the proposal during last night's city council meeting.

The Governor recently signed a state-wide smoking ban into law, which applies to restaurants and bars.

He says he's not surprised to hear other communities want make the law stricter.

"I do know that cities and schools have enormous power when it comes to taking public policy measures even further," Culver noted.

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Smoking ban continues to hit Rank 

Gaming firm Rank says it is continuing to feel the impact of the UK-wide smoking ban at its Mecca bingo halls.

Like-for-like revenue fell 14% in England and Wales during the 17 weeks to 27 April, compared with the same period a year ago.

Attendance fell by 13%, with spending per customer down by 1%.

But Rank, which also runs Grosvenor Casinos and the Blue Square online betting business, said it had been "encouraged" by its performance.

"We have achieved a degree of success in adjusting to the smoking ban and the new gaming regulations and have taken timely action to protect profits," the firm said

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• House Snuffs Out Proposal To Ban Smoking At Casinos 

Hartford - The House of Representatives will not take up a proposal that could have extended the state smoking ban to the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, the chamber's leader said Tuesday.

One day before the adjournment deadline of the 2008 regular session, the decision by the House Democrats effectively killed the bill, which had been aggressively sought by some labor groups but opposed by other unions and by the owners of the two casinos, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes.

In a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic caucus, opinion had run nearly two-to-one against the bill, said House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, who had previously expressed skepticism about the proposal but agreed to consider a vote on it amid fierce lobbying from the United Auto Workers union.

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Local clubs adjusting to smoking ban 

Like counterparts in the bar business, fraternal and veterans club managers say the statewide smoking ban that began a year ago has had varied effects on their business.

"We probably went down initially 60 percent and we're probably still off 40 percent from where we were," said American Veterans Post 21 Canteen Manager Pat Enck.

Bingo tickets are the only things keeping the doors open, he said.

But at American Legion Post 3, Canteen Manager Kelley Zehender said, "We're starting to adjust."

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Community groups hurting under smoking ban 

Bingo revenue has been slashed by as much as 30% since gambling joints were forced to adhere to the city's smoking ban in the new year, one Calgary community association says.

Lil Rose, who is in charge of financial resources at the Acadia Community Association, said attendance for the games they host at the city's bingo halls has dropped significantly since Jan 1.

"Of course, the money's down too," said Rose.

"I would say it's mostly because of the non-smoking." The cash raised through bingos funds the association's utility and maintenance costs, she said.

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Sioux City Council Member Wants to Take Smoking Ban a Step Further 

The smoking ban passed by the Iowa legislature this year prohibits smoking in bars and restaurants in the Hawkeye State with one exception... casinos.

Now, Sioux City council member Brent Hoffman wants the city to take that ban a step further by extending it to Argosy Casino.

City attorney Andrew Mai calls the idea "groundbreaking" and believes the measure would hold up in court.

But, a spokesperson for the casino says no government - be it state, city, or otherwise - should be allowed to mandate how a business should run.

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City may try to ban smoking at Argosy 

When the state of Iowa goes smoke free July 1, except for people patronizing the state's casinos, will patrons on the Argosy Casino -- Sioux City still be able to light up?

The City Council agreed Monday night to authorize the city attorney to draft an ordinance banning smoking at the Argosy. The council members emphasized they don't know how they would vote on the smoking ban, but agreed to hold public hearings.

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Sioux City considers smoking ban at Argosy Casino 

The Sioux City Council is pondering a smoking ban at the Argosy Casino, even though a new state law exempts casinos.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, bans smoking in most public places. The main exceptions are the gaming floors of the 17 state-licensed casinos and the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

On Monday, the City Council agreed to authorize the city attorney to draft an ordinance banning smoking at the Argosy.

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HARROP: States and casinos become codependent addicts 

Loath to tax the citizenry based on income, many states have increasingly turned to cigarette smokers and gamblers for revenues. Gamblers are often smokers, and both groups tend to be of modest or low income. . . .

And when states ban smoking in all entertainment venues but the casino, they end up securing an especially dependable revenue stream. As public policy goes, this means of taxation is highly unattractive. After all, they are funneling their smoker population into another highly taxed and unhealthy activity. As an added anti-social bonus, they discriminate against other businesses in search of the same entertainment dollar.

But the casino industry knows that its profits have become oh-so-important to the gambling-addicted states and localities. We're partners now.

That mentality explains how Donald Trump could stand up a few days ago and with a straight face call on 11 casinos to unite in a lawsuit against Atlantic City. . . .

A similar conversation is going on in Connecticut. . . .

Perhaps someone would like to tote up how many jobs would be created -- at the pubs, fish restaurants and pool halls in New London and elsewhere in the region -- if the smokers who had left them for the casinos suddenly started returning. Or a general accounting of how many jobs elsewhere in the economy have vanished because of casino competition.

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Casino smoking ban could face fiscal roadblock 

About two hours before the state Senate approved a bill that would lead to a ban on smoking at the two Indian casinos in southeastern Connecticut, a decision Friday night by majority Democrats in the House of Representatives had appeared to kill the measure.

The Senate passed the bill 24-11.

House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, moments after announcing that Democrats had ended efforts to negotiate a revised 2009 state budget with Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said it wouldn't be wise to consider the casino measure in the House since it could cost a deficit-plagued state budget more revenue.

When asked whether it would make sense to vote on the casino measure in the House, Amann responded "I would say the answer is 'no.'"

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HUNLEY: Why Colorado gaming revenues are down  

It seems every time there is an article about the downturn in casino revenues in Colorado the emphasis of blame seems to be on the affect of the smoking ban. The latest article “Casinos say revenue going up in smoke” by Joanne Kelley is just the latest example. To the contrary I for one am more likely to go to Colorado casinos because of the smoking ban. However there are other factors in my opinion that are much more likely. During my latest visits to Mesquite and Las Vegas, for example, the papers there say that they too are suffering from a reduction in revenue and of course smoking or non-smoking is not the issue there. The emphasis of blame by those area casinos is the economy and gas prices, which seems more likely to be the case.

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Senate passes casino smoking ban bill  

Despite opposition from the state's two federally recognized tribes, the legislature is moving ahead with a bill that bans smoking in their casinos.

After a lengthy debate that included a two-hour Republican filibuster, the Senate voted 24-11 to create a committee to work with the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans to negotiate a smoking ban next year.

The bill moves to the House of Representatives. But House Speaker Jim Amann said he likely won't bring it up for a vote.

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Casino smoking ban passes, could cost state $50 million 

About two hours before the state Senate approved a bill that would lead to a ban on smoking at the two Indian casinos in southeastern Connecticut, a decision late Friday by majority Democrats in the House of Representatives had appeared to kill the measure.

The Senate passed the bill 24-11.

House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, moments after announcing that Democrats had ended efforts to negotiate a revised 2009 state budget with Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said it wouldn't be wise to consider the casino measure in the House since it could cost a deficit-plagued state budget more revenue.

When asked whether it would make sense to vote on the casino measure in the House, Amann said "I would say the answer is 'no.'"

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