On Tuesday, a panel of experts that gathered at the Global Gaming Expo, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, told a gambling conference that smoking bans are considerably hurting casinos revenue, but increasing marketing and investments can lure the customers back.
According to Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. vice president Karl Gagesch, the Canadian province of Ontario imposed a smoking ban in public places in May, which caused casinos bordering the United States to lose between 10 percent and 20 percent of their revenue.
Casino Windsor, one of the casinos that was most impacted by the smoking ban, was forced to lay off more than 300 employees during the summer due to the many American gamblers, who chose to avoid going to non-smoking casinos.
The province's $400 million refurbishment plan brings some hope to casinos along the border. The casinos are also planning new ways to attract people back that will help reverse the trend and put them on the way up again, like offering Americans sports betting.
The Global Gaming Expo, one of the biggest annual conventions on the world of gaming, is expected to have 30,000 attendees and 780 attendees this year and end on Thursday.
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