Smoking ban, economy forces Alton's casino to cut employees

By Kathleen Haughney

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/08/2008



City officials in Alton have been forced to cut six jobs from next year's budget, in part because of a $1 million revenue loss from the city's casino.



The Fire Department will lay off four firefighters and the Police Department will not fill two currently open slots, Alton Mayor Don Sandidge said.



The mayor added that the city has been forced into some difficult decisions because of the lost revenue, which he attributes partly to the economy and partly to the state's smoking ban.



The Illinois smoking ban went into effect Jan. 1 under the protest of many restaurant, bar and casino owners, who said it would harm business. Several Illinois lawmakers have proposed legislation to exempt certain businesses, such as casinos, but the proposals so far have gone nowhere.

STLCardsBlues1989 wrote:

Smoking ban, economy forces Alton's casino to cut employees

By Kathleen Haughney

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/08/2008





The mayor added that the city has been forced into some difficult decisions because of the lost revenue, which he attributes partly to the economy and partly to the state's smoking ban.

Impact of smoking ban: Casino Queen says it's been devastating

News-Democrat



The Casino Queen's business is down, and it blames Illinois' smoking ban.



Initially, the $92 million new casino, which opened last summer on the East St. Louis riverfront, saw revenues increase from the smaller boat, but business has declined since Jan. 1 when the state's ban on smoking in public places took effect.



"It's been devastating," said casino manager Tom Monaghan, who has seen fewer gamblers on the new "boat in a moat" and fears more are going to new nearby competing casinos across the river in Missouri, where gamblers still can smoke.