Sands Bethlehem Casino Finds Smokers Gamble More
The Las Vegas Sands casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has expanded its smoking area after discovering that smokers tend to gamble significantly more than non-smokers. Revenue reports at the Sands Bethlehem Casino show that smoking areas drew more gambling than areas in which smoking is forbidden.The casino opened with a quarter of its gaming floor permitting smoking. But an agreement with the state allows Sands to expand the smoking areas if it is seen that betting is heavier in the smoking sections.
The report shows that, after three months of operation, slot machines in smoking areas achieved an average daily win of $324 as compared to $181 in non-smoking areas. The 80 percent difference caused the casino to immediately increase smoking-friendly space to 50 percent of the gambling areas.
Smoking bans have led to plummeting casino revenues around the country. Advocates for the bans have claimed the economy is responsible for major sudden drops in revenue when bans are enacted, but Illinois saw its gaming intake drop sharply when smoking privileges were withdrawn, even as smoke-friendly casinos in neighboring states reported revenue increases.
Sands promises non-smokers that all restaurants remain smoke-free, and it says it uses cutting-edge technology to filter air systems to minimize second-hand smoke.
Recent Comments
| Posted by: Ron Stoker | When: 09/08/2009 04:05:47 PM EST |
| Casinos that have large progressive pots looming and player favorite machices place those in smoking areas and use that data to declare that smokers gamble more than non smokers. It's called lieing through statistics. If the casinos cared about people and not profits they would have no smoking anywhere. They don't even care about employees that have to smell that stink. Maybe there will be a class action suit and all of the people forced to breath that poison will share in the millions of dollars paid out by the casinos who made conscious choices to ignore health warnings for profits. | |
| Posted by: Virginia Maddox | When: 09/09/2009 09:18:51 PM EST |
| The foolishness you fell into was attributing profit as the casino's only motive, then saying they lie about where their profit is coming from so they can force a policy on what you seem to think is the majority. If casinos cared more about people than profit, they'd be the Salvation Army. Instead, they simply respond to the demands of the most and best customers. Anyone who voluntarily enters a smoking casino and then sues for the environment inside is as big a fool as anyone who keeps smoking a product that explains how deadly it is in bold on the package, then sues for the result of his voluntary choice. On the other hand, maybe casinos care more about poisoning people than profit, and conspire to force smoking into their venues, driving many of their best customers away on purpose, because money means nothing to them. Yeah, that's the ticket. | |
