I got some help in trying to figure why some Metro Council members, led by Kelly Downard, continue to pursue exemptions for the smoking ban (the vote comes tonight). The proponents are simply trying to protect the profits of organizations who operate charitable gaming establishments.

Bingo!

It’s always about the money, and there’s a lot of it involved here.

Say what you want, but folks who like to sit around playing a mindless game of chance consider smoking with their peers a major part of the experience. So much so that many won’t go to smoke-free bingo halls. They’d rather sit around their living rooms smoking and watching TV.

Ron Morris, executive director of the state’s Charitable Gaming Association, said that in bingo halls the smoker/non-smoker balance is almost an opposite reflection of the general population in Kentucky, where about 24 percent of adults smoke.

He said that smoking bans around the state, in places like Lexington, Frankfort and Georgetown, have caused operators to go out of business. So the issue in Louisville is pretty important.

On a list of 35 local bingo operations, all but 11 showed a revenue drop from the 3rd quarter in 2006 to the same period in 2007, which can be attributed to life with a smoking ban. Revenue fell from $1.85 million to $1.38 million. PER QUARTER. They saw a cumulative drop in revenue of 25 percent, and nine of them dropped the activity altogether.

Morris said the numbers are even more dramatic when the 4th quarter numbers are figured in. At St. Bernard Church, he said, six-month revenue is off $109,000. “That’s a couple of teachers and all their books for the year,” he said.

But even with the smoking ban, 26 organizations made $1.38 million by hosting bingo games in the 3rd quarter.  So if that’s a representative number, bingo can still generate $5.5 million a year. But the money is dramatically different when smoking is allowed.

“The crowds immediately returned (after the ban was lifted last month),” Morris said. “It was dramatic in that the numbers returned to normal almost overnight. Crowds are up and smokers are angry at the Mayor.”

Morris said that after his group had made progress toward a compromise on the issue with the Metro Council, the Mayor announced his intention to veto any deal, setting back progress.

Gambling proponents for casinos should take heart, knowing that the appetite for games is there - though if the state ever does succeed in getting a law passed allowing casino gambling, the smoking issue is likely to rise again.

On a list of 186 smoking-related citations all across town, the leading offender was the Bingo Palace on Dixie Highway, with 31 citations — it had paid none. Neither had a majority of those cited.  Defiance is a potential way to fight the ban.

A Surprising Twist:  According to an opinion provided by Jefferson County attorney William O’Brien, a smoking ban just like the one the Metro Council is debating tonight could have been pushed through the Metro Health Department without all the controversy.

In other words, the Mayor could have simply pushed a ban through the Health Department. Headed by Adewale Troutman, who spoke in favor of the ban at a Metro Council committee meeting Monday, the Health Department can pass regulations on health issues. It’s considering one now on the trans fat issue.

Abramson controls the Health Department’s board, and could have pushed through a measure without involving the Council. But, apparently, he chose not to.

In a memo to Councilman Hal Heiner, O’Brien wrote:

The Board of Health has the authority under KRS 212.370 and KRS 212.600 to hold hearings and pass regulations as to health issues (e.g., smoking).