Re: OT: Smoking ...Will a ban hurt of help the Industry

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, John W
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> There is a growing debate regarding smoking in gaming establishments.  There
> is merit to both sides of the argument.  In the long run,  will the clean
> air attract more non-smokers who currently eschew casinos because of the
> smoke infestation?  Will this amount be enough to offset the smokers who
> will not return?  Are non-smokers more conservative(in general) in gambling.
> Do smokers have a higher propensity for gambling and alcohol addiction?
> With all things being equal,  based on demographic information,  is the
> expected profit per smoker higher than the non-smoker?  I'm not interested
> in discussion on why smoking should or should not be allowed,  but more to
> the financial impact to the industry if it is banned vs maintaining the
> status quo.
> 

  This is a question of balancing the polictical power of the gaming 
  industry against the demographics of gamblers (i.e., smoking rates)
  against the general desire of society.

  What also has to be considered is a public health issue of the general
  health of casino workers.  I don't have access to scientifically 
  acceptable studies concerning the health of casino workers, as the
  casinos, *especially* the Nevada casinos, have consistently blocked
  attempts by public interest research groups to collect these data.
  It is my opinion, however, that casino workers have elevated 
  probabilities of getting various cancers.  Casino workers also
  have other health issues as a group, but I digress.

  I don't think that smokers, per se, are more inclined to gamble.
  I do think that gamblers are more likely to smoke and drink, and
  that desire needs to be considered as a business aim of the casinos.

  In any case, the general tone and direction of society is to 
  eventually criminalize the use of tobacco, or at least to 
  restrict the use of tobacco to smokey ghettos.  That desire,
  more than the considerable political power of the tobacco industry
  and the considerable political power of the gaming industry, will
  force casinos to become smoke free in the not to distant future.

-- 
Harvey J. Cohen, Ph. D.
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"The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make
sense." - Tom Clancy

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as 
you please. -- Mark Twain
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