Lottery loses revenue since smoking ban

[The Straight Story]

Lottery loses revenue since smoking ban


With Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposing a 10 percent cut in budgets across the board in South Dakota to bring the state back to a balanced budget, one revenue source has seen a decrease because of a law passed in recent years.

The statewide smoking ban went into effect Nov. 10, 2010. Since that time, the impact of the ban to bars and restaurants that have video lottery machines is beginning to be seen. Lottery revenues have dropped, according to some in the food and beverage business, at a time when revenues of any kind are precious to the state.

According to Kelly Thompson, director of advertising and public relations for the state of South Dakota ,from Nov. 10, 2010 to Jan. 29, 2011, net machine income (NMI), the cash-in (sales) minus cash-out (prizes) for video lottery outside of Deadwood totals $38,396,340 which is down 16.25 percent from the same period in FY2010.

...

“I have definitely seen a crunch on the lottery and in business in general,” he said. “I have heard from others that it is 20 to 25 percent in Deadwood, but I can’t really put a percentage on what I see here.”

...

“People are taking their business to Indian casinos where they don’t have to leave their machine to smoke,” he said.

http://www.mobridgetribune.com/cms/news/story-212874.html

We need to take over those indian casino's and teach em right about american freedom. The nerve of Indians trying to be free - look at what they are doing with that freedom, using it in ways we don't like. They are stealing our money, now we can either get it back by changing the legislation to allow people the right to choose if their bar is smoking or not, or we can level the field by discovering those indian casinos and going all 1492 on their asses.

[pipi_k]

1. Maybe they're just speculating...

Maybe it's not only the smoking that draws people to the Indian Casinos...

maybe people are also thinking about getting the most from their gambling dollars.

Combining vacations with day trips, maybe?

Gambling on different machines...seeing shows...shopping...restaurants

It's all there at the casinos.

What's at the corner bar or neighborhood restaurant? Not much, in comparison.


And then there's the whole immediate payout thing. You play a machine, you win, you get the money NOW. You play the lottery and you have to wait. Well, except for Keno, which my elderly mom loves and plays all the time when she can.

There's more excitement playing the machines.

I dunno...seems to me that people are making judgments based on feelings of persecution. Maligned smokers and all the rest...

Could be lots of other reasons too...

[Democat]

2. How much did will the lottery lose vs. how much will health costs go down?

When it comes to second hand smoke, what are the health costs to the public that may go down to offset any drop in lottery revenue?

[unhappycamper]

3. Careful, Dude.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. Some of the casinos down here have

nonsmoking sections and even nonsmoking floors. Of course, that isn't enough for the anti-smoking zealots.