Illinois mulls smoking ban loophole for casinos

HAMMOND, Ind. — Clutching his Marlboro, Clifford Hutchison works a slot machine unaware of his role in a desperate competition to balance state budgets.

The retired maintenance worker from Chicago could have sought his fortune at any of the casinos in northeastern Illinois. But he decided to drop his quarters at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., partly because that state allows gamblers to light up unhindered — something Illinois has banned since January 2008.

"It relaxes me," he said of smoking and gambling.

Some lawmakers would like to lure Hutchison and his cigarettes back to Illinois. As cash-strapped governments grasp for every quarter, the state is among several contemplating loopholes in smoking bans to keep more gamblers — and their money — from slipping across the border.

An Illinois Senate committee could deliberate Wednesday on a bill to allow smoking in casinos so gamblers don't escape to Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

Casino owners blame the bans for the loss of millions of dollars in revenues and the subsequent fall in tax receipts. The American Gaming Association estimates that about 20 percent of casino patrons smoke.

But gambling and smoking opponents say the loss claims are exaggerated and that the loopholes are bad public health policy. The Illinois bill passed the House 62-52, but faces stiff opposition from key senators and Gov. Pat Quinn.

"It's discrimination against the people who work in casinos," said Kathy Drea, vice president of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Illinois. "They're saying their health isn't worth the same as everyone else's."

The Illinois bill tweaks the 2008 ban by permitting smoking in casinos as long as it's allowed in neighboring states. State Rep. Dan Burke, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the bill, voted for the smoking ban, but said "unintended consequences" warrant an amendment.

Burke dismissed the notion that his bill would backtrack on efforts to discourage smoking, saying it is purely a matter of dollars and cents. Even after lawmakers passed a 67 percent increase in income tax in January, Illinois still faces about a $9 billion budget deficit.

"It's a money bill," Burke said.