While casinos may blame the Smoke-Free Illinois Act for decreases in revenue, the state has yet to determine that the ban has a significant effect on casino business.

The Illinois Department of Public Health plans to launch a study this year to determine whether the smoking ban affects casino revenue across the state.

“We’re looking to do a study later in the year starting in July,” said Melanie Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. “Results are expected later in the fall.”

The Senate rejected a bill to exempt casinos from the ban for up to five years by a 35-15 vote April 16. The bill had been approved by a Senate committee because the committee found that riverboat casinos were receiving less income.

The smoking ban, which went into effect Jan. 1, prohibits smoking in nearly all indoor public places. Attempts to exempt casinos from the Smoke-Free Illinois Act have been debated since the act itself was approved by lawmakers last year. So far, no exemptions have been passed by the General Assembly despite complaints from casinos that the ban drives customers away.

Arnold said the department believes the smoking ban, which had the approval of health organizations like the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, protects most people from the “dangers of secondhand smoke.”

The Illinois Gaming Board recently released its figures for February for all nine of the state’s casinos, with eight recording lower revenues than in February 2007 and an average decrease of nearly 13 percent.

Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said that weather and the economy could also have been to blame for the lack of business at the beginning of 2008.

“We believe that in January and February the weather and the economy may have affected business, but mostly the ban (did),” Swoik said.

But now, with more pleasant weather, he attributes the losses mostly to the smoking ban. For the past decade, March has usually been the best month for casino revenue, but Swoik said March 2008 was different.

“We saw a 19.83 percent decrease in March, and the weather was pretty reasonable,” he said.

Illinois state Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, initially voted against the smoking ban last year. However, he later voted against exempting casinos when the proposal was brought before the Senate.

“Sen. Frerichs voted ‘no’ on the exemption to the smoking ban in casinos because he believes that the smoking ban should be applied consistently throughout the state,” said Justin Cajindos, a spokesman for Frerichs. “He believes it is unfair to exempt certain businesses and not others.”

Supporters of the exemption claim that the ban has hurt businesses, and Cajindos said Frerichs’ office has received concerned calls from local bar owners.

“We should wait a while and see what the effects are before we deal with any exemptions,” Cajindos said. “The ban has only been in effect for four months.”

Daniel Lewart, vice president of the C-U Smokefree Alliance, had little sympathy for the casinos, and said the ban was put forward in the interest of casino workers.

“I would shed no tears for casino owners,” he said.

Harrah’s Joliet Casino and Hotel is trying to make the best out of the current situation by installing new smoking lounges to accommodate guests within the casino that will be sectioned off from the gaming floor, according to a press release.