Bill calls for end to casino smoking

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, February 23, 2007

Colorado's casinos would have to go smoke-free under a measure that passed a House committee Thursday.

Gaming officials, however, warned the state will lose millions of dollars in revenue if it becomes law.

Casinos were given an exemption last year when the legislature banned smoking in nearly every business in Colorado, from bars to bingo parlors to offices.

"There never should have been an exemption for casinos," said Rep. Anne McGihon, D-Denver, the bill's sponsor. "No other gaming industry in Colorado - bingo, track - has an exemption. Why should casinos?"

Most witnesses who lined up to testify on House Bill 1269 supported the measure, and the House Health and Human Services Committee voted 8-3 to send it to the full House for debate. Rep. Ellen Roberts, of Durango, was the only Republican to support it.

Casino owner Ed Smith opposed the bill. He said he has studied other locations where smoking was banned in casinos and found that revenues dropped 20 to 30 percent.

Another casino manager, John Bohannon, said lower revenues will mean fewer jobs.

"This is not a revenue issue, this is a health issue," countered Stephanie Steinberg, of Greenwood Village. an activist who launched Smoke-Free Gaming of Colorado to try to overturn the exemption.

Dr. Daniel Soteres, an allergy and sinus specialist in Colorado Springs, said 42 nonsmoking casino workers agreed to have their urine samples tested after their shifts. All tested positive for significant tobacco levels, he said, and now face the same risk of disease as smokers.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327