Smoking Bans Helping Indian Tribal Casinos In Some States

Indian tribal casinos have always held an advantage over non tribal casinos. They can make their own rules, which means they can cater to their clientele.

Non tribal casinos must follow the rules of the state in which they reside. If the state makes a law that will hurt their revenue, then the casinos are out of luck.

Take smoking, for example. Many state governments have made smoking in public places illegal. Those places include casinos within the state, causing a drop off in revenue for the casinos.

Tribal casinos do not have to adhere to the laws of the state government, and therefore can continue to allow smoking in these states. The advantage is an unfair one, according to some casino operators.

Patrons who smoke are more likely to stop going to casinos with a smoking ban. They head to the tribal casinos, where smoking is legal. This puts a tremendous burden on non tribal casino owners.

"In any competitive market it's always advantageous to have more of a level playing field," said Caesars Windsor spokeswoman, Holly Ward.

While these concerns over revenue branch into governments, since the revenue generated from casinos usually is shared with state governments, it is not preventing lawmakers from passing non smoking laws.

May 9, 2008
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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