Racetrack asks health board for smoking ban exemption

Dan Adkins asks Health Board For Racetrack Smoking Ban

Representatives from the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center asked the Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health to reconsider the county’s smoking ban at the racetrack, but health officials weren’t sympathetic.

Dan Adkins, the racetrack’s vice president, asked the health board to allow a partial exemption for the “one-of-a-kind” establishment that would designate smoking and nonsmoking areas within the casino and gaming area.

“We can handle smokers and nonsmokers. We have had total separation in the past and are asking for consideration again since we are a unique destination within the state,” Adkins said.

He said the racetrack has lost $15 million in revenue in the past year, more than half of which officials blame on the smoking ban.

“Nine million of that can be attributed to nonsmoking,” he said. “Yes, we’ve had an economic downturn but that can’t account for a full 24 percent drop in revenue.”

Members of the health board weren’t inclined to reconsider the ban.

“It’s hard in one year to make any determination on if the smoking ban has affected losses, especially because of the economic downturn,” said Brenda Isaac, the board’s president. “It will be discussed, but I would not be inclined to make an exception.”

Other board members felt the same, saying the racetrack was welcome to ask to be reconsidered, but the board shouldn’t go back on what it passed.

“It’s first and foremost a health issue. We are doing this because of the evidence against [smoking],” said board member Dr. Shannon Snodgrass.

The smoking ban has caused tourism revenue in the county and state to shrink, Adkins said.

“We track our players like any other casino and we know that our dollars are going out of state where people can smoke,” he said.

According to Adkins, Tri-State is the only one of the state’s three racetracks with table games to have a smoking ban, which he said makes the restriction to his business unfair.

“As long as the ban is fair and equal, we’ll cooperate,” he said. “We aren’t being treated fairly. We’re asking for a level playing field.”