It’s been a decade since Illinois enacted its public smoking ban… and there’s still disagreement over how it affected the state’s gaming industry.
A study in the journal Tobacco Control looked at years of data before and after the ban took effect and concluded that the ban did not significantly affect admissions or revenue.
But the Illinois Casino Gambling Association says that while the economic downturn affected casinos around the Midwest, the declines were much steeper in Illinois… and contends that was directly because of the smoking ban.