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Montana Tribal Casinos Bevefit From Smoking Ban
BILLINGS, MONTANA --
Montana's state smoking ban went into effect on October 1st, and the most immediate beneficiary are tribal casinos in the state. As smokers scramble to find locations that are permitted by the government to cater to them, tribal casinos are seeing a big jump in customers, many of whom are deserting the licensed casinos they used to patronize.
"Reservations are sovereign governments," said Linda Lee, a supervisor with the state Tobacco Use Prevention Program. "Unless they pass their own similar smoke-free laws, native-owned casinos on reservations have the choice whether to be smoke-free."
Tribal casino officials are reporting a surge in customers seeking first-time directions, even if it means driving further than the local gambling venue. Even the lack of alcohol, as the reservations in the area are dry, cannot stem the flow of smokers taking their dollars out of the reach of state collectors.
Other states, including Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey, have seen abrupt drops in gambling and casino sales upon the implementation of smoking bans. Other states have purposely exempted casinos from smoking bans, content to sabotage small restaurateurs and bar owners without killing their own golden goose.
"Gambling without smoking is like trying to eat meat without salt," said the manager of tribal casino Little Bighorn Casino, Wales Bull Tail.
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Recent Comments
| Posted by Bob on 10/23/2009 07:18:44 AM EST |
| The same thing happens in Indiana too. They had to expand their casinos to accommodate all the gamblers from Chicago and other parts of Illinois. |
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