"The Lac Court Oreilles, or LCO, Casino in Hayward does not have the worst quality of air I’ve ever drawn into my lungs.

That distinction would have to go to the ’Bama Barn, a roadhouse I had to visit in southern Alabama when I was writing columns for the Mobile Press-Register. The Barn was an industrial-type building with only seven-foot ceilings and no windows; every cubic foot of cigarette smoke exhaled stayed within the walls — the entire night. The “cheese box” did have excellent acoustics, though, which the crowd had to appreciate since they really couldn’t see the band if they were more than 20 smoky, blue-hazed feet from the stage.

So LCO is not the worst.

But it’s not great, either.

And that’s no surprise to any tourist or resident who has spent time playing blackjack or craps in a Wisconsin casino, before heading home with a scratchy throat and clothing drenched in nicotine.

(I made these observations not as one of those fanatically reformed smokers. After a 10-year habit of Luckies and Marlboros, I switched to cigars, confining my habit to the outdoors.)

When the state of Wisconsin smoking ban went into effect July 5, LCO and most of the other 16 casinos in the state declined to go smoke-free.

Why?

Actually, the better question is: Why not?"

Get the Story:
David McGrath: It’s time for casinos to clear the air (The Duluth News Tribune 10/3)
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