Clearing the air - mechanically

Teddye Snell

These days, a smoker is limited when it comes to locales for indulging his habit. He’s pretty much restricted to his home, his car, large parking lots, some nightclubs, and – at least in this area – casinos.

Despite nationwide efforts to ban smoking in almost all public places, casinos are a smoker’s refuge. And that, according to a recent report, may boost a casino’s bottom line.

Ontario, Canada, imposed a ban on smoking in public places in May, and a report by the Associated Press indicates many casinos along the U.S.-Canada border suffered a revenue drop of 10-20 percent when that happened.

Not so in this area, where Cherokee Nation boasts the highest number of casinos, with gaming in Tahlequah, Tulsa, Roland, West Siloam Springs, Fort Gibson, Will Rogers Downs-Claremore and Sallisaw. All Cherokee Casinos allows smoking on the gaming floors, but restrict the table game areas.

“We offer a non-smoking machine gaming area at Catoosa, near the card table area,” said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, which oversees the tribe’s gaming operations. “In the smaller casinos, we don’t have the capacity to provide non-smoking areas.”

Tenkiller resident and non-smoker P.J. Moore believes smoking restrictions are a form of discrimination.

“We overlook the fact that smoking is a freedom of choice and not an invasion,” said Moore. “I am not a smoker, and some say this [restriction] does not affect me, and I should say nothing. However, just because I do not use the freedom to smoke doesn’t mean my freedom of choice should be taken away.”

Stewart believes that in the smaller locations, patrons accept smoking as standard practice.

Visitors to either the Catoosa or Tahlequah locations might notice that, although smoking is permitted in most areas, the air is unusually clear.

“Our [ventilation] systems have designed to provide a comfortable environment even for non-smokers,” said Stewart. “We’ve taken major steps with our systems to bring in new air, and believe our facilities are better than most.”

Non-smokers will have even more gaming space after the second phase of the casino at Catoosa is completed, according to Stewart.

Nevada, one of the largest gaming states in the nation, has even passed legislation banning smoking in bars that serve food, and around the slot machines at convenience stores and gas stations. That law will become effective in December.

Similarly, Colorado – as with the casinos here – restricts smoking near table games. Some might ask why table games, since slot machines are positioned as close to one another as gamers playing table games. Is felt really that expensive?

“Actually, poker players [table gamers] sit and play for hours at a time, and many poker players don’t smoke,” said Stewart. “We’ve noticed this in our poker market in Oklahoma. As facilities are built, we are working toward targeting the non-smoker.”

Moore believes smoking restrictions chip away at personal freedoms.

“You have a choice not to go to the restaurant and avoid the smoke,” she said. “You have the right not to go to the casino and avoid the smoke, just as the person who smokes has the right to go to the casino and smoke. We should have allowed consideration to the facilities that needed more time to adapt to provide the necessary ventilation, employment and income needs, and cigarette companies time to create other preventive resources before we discriminate against people by not being permitted in come places. Now we continue to segregate people who smoke by saying, ‘Sorry, you are not allowed to smoke in this area, you will need to go to the back of the building.’”

Cherokee Casino environmental crews - or housekeeping employees - are in charge of keeping ashtrays emptied, and surrounding areas spotless.

“But we all chip in wherever we’re needed,” said Karen Stead, marketing director at Cherokee Casino Tahlequah. “I’m a non-smoker, and I have no problem working here day in and day out. The smoke is filtered out and, as you can see, there are no clouds hanging in the air.”

The Catoosa casino goes one step further in catering to its smoking clientele, offering a smoke shop right on the gaming floor.

Rod Fourkiller, casino manager for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees, which also has a casino in Tahlequah, indicated banning smoking wouldn’t help the bottom line.

“We have smoking allowed everywhere in our casino, but we don’t have any table games,” said Fourkiller. “In this environment [gambling], smoking and gaming pretty much go hand-in-hand. I don’t think, economically, a casino can afford to completely ban smoking.”

Fourkiller admitted he’s had the occasional complaint.

“But you get that no matter where you are,” he said. “We have ventilation, but it’s nothing very sophisticated.”

Norma Harvey believes two areas for gaming – smoking and non-smoking – is the best solution.

“I think that having two separate areas is a good choice,” said Harvey. “That is one way the casinos can keep up their revenue.”

Harvey smokes, but would not flinch if smoking were banned from gaming.

“If they banned smoking, it still wouldn’t make me mad,” said Harvey, “because I don’t go to the casinos.”

Moore believes if smoking is banned, other irritants should be considered, if only hypothetically.

“Personally, I would ban babies from restaurants, state fairs, shopping malls, movies, sidewalks, sporting events and anywhere near me, all for the level of disturbance they create,” said Moore. “It’s a perfect example of how bans become personal issues, and nobody wants their rights banned.”