These days, a smoker is limited when it comes to locales for indulging his habit. He’s pretty much restricted to his home, his car, large parking lots, some nightclubs, and – at least in this area – casinos.

Despite nationwide efforts to ban smoking in almost all public places, casinos are a smoker’s refuge. And that, according to a recent report, may boost a casino’s bottom line.

Ontario, Canada, imposed a ban on smoking in public places in May, and a report by the Associated Press indicates many casinos along the U.S.-Canada border suffered a revenue drop of 10-20 percent when that happened.

Not so in this area, where Cherokee Nation boasts the highest number of casinos, with gaming in Tahlequah, Tulsa, Roland, West Siloam Springs, Fort Gibson, Will Rogers Downs-Claremore and Sallisaw. All Cherokee Casinos allows smoking on the gaming floors, but restrict the table game areas.

“We offer a non-smoking machine gaming area at Catoosa, near the card table area,” said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, which oversees the tribe’s gaming operations. “In the smaller casinos, we don’t have the capacity to provide non-smoking areas.”

Tenkiller resident and non-smoker P.J. Moore believes smoking restrictions are a form of discrimination.

“We overlook the fact that smoking is a freedom of choice and not an invasion,” said Moore. “I am not a smoker, and some say this [restriction] does not affect me, and I should say nothing. However, just because I do not use the freedom to smoke doesn’t mean my freedom of choice should be taken away.”

Stewart believes that in the smaller locations, patrons accept smoking as standard practice.

Visitors to either the Catoosa or Tahlequah locations might notice that, although smoking is permitted in most areas, the air is unusually clear.

“Our [ventilation] systems have designed to provide a comfortable environment even for non-smokers,” said Stewart. “We’ve taken major steps with our systems to bring in new air, and believe our facilities are better than most.”

Non-smokers will have even more gaming space after the second phase of the casino at Catoosa is completed, according to Stewart.

Nevada, one of the largest gaming states in the nation, has even passed legislation banning smoking in bars that serve food, and around the slot machines at convenience stores and gas stations. That law will become effective in December.

Similarly, Colorado – as with the casinos here – restricts smoking near table games. Some might ask why table games, since slot machines are positioned as close to one another as gamers playing table games. Is felt really that expensive?

“Actually, poker players [table gamers] sit and play for hours at a time, and many poker players don’t smoke,” said Stewart. “We’ve noticed this in our poker market in Oklahoma. As facilities are built, we are working toward targeting the non-smoker.”

Moore believes smoking restrictions chip away at personal freedoms.