SD lawmaker wants smoking ban lifted in casinos

Talk about it

RAPID CITY (AP) — A South Dakota lawmaker has drafted legislation that would exempt Deadwood casinos from a smoking ban.

Sen. Tom Nelson of Lead tells the media that the voter-approved ban enacted in November 2010 is cutting gambling revenue.

Nelson says casino owners were hoping revenue would bounce back quickly once the ban was implemented, but it has not.

Total gambling revenue last month was 6.8 percent higher than revenue in November 2010, when the ban was first passed. But it was one of the few months in 2011 in which revenue was up year over year.

Overall, gambling brought in $99.7 million from January to November in 2010 compared to $93.7 million over the same time period in 2011.

Tags: news, updates, casinos, smoking, ban, legislature, state, deadwood