According to a Thursday Associated Press report in the Argus Leader, groups representing South Dakota’s bars and casinos are considering whether to put the issue of South Dakota’s new smoke-free status to a vote of the people in the 2010 general election. Gov. Mike Rounds signed a bill two weeks ago banning smoking in bars and Deadwood casinos.

The group opposing the smoking ban, which includes representatives of Deadwood casinos, video lottery establishments and bars, would need 16,776 valid signatures by June 29 to get the issue on the ballot.

The article  quotes Mike DeMersseman, a Rapid City lawyer and lobbyist for the Deadwood Visitors Bureau and Gaming Association,who said the group plans to meet to discuss the issue and “it’s very likely that there would be a referral.”

An informal, unscientific poll of the people I sat with at lunch during Saturday’s South Dakota Newspaper Association convention, indicated that a ballot issue to reverse the ban would not succeed. However, there were only seven of us and I don’t think everyone participated in the polling. There was some discussion of how the ban might affect the state’s gambling revenues. According to the table, it would improve them. This remains to be seen of course. Minnesota saw a decrease in revenues when it passed a smoking ban.

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