NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The lengthy list of restaurants and bars against the New Orleans’ smoking ban were hopeful, but the judge’s ruling came Wednesday: The plaintiffs’ request for preliminary injunction is denied at their expense.

On Tuesday, attorney Tom Cortazzo told WGNO that if this were to happen he would discuss it with the involved parties and consider their next step.

Harrah’s New Orleans Casino is listed on the original lawsuit but dropped out in early May. A spokesperson for the casino says becoming smoke-free is a huge undertaking, but the company made the decision to move forward and work on compliance, with an eye toward compromise.

Spokesperson Jade Brown-Russell says, “There would be a distinguished, from floor-to-ceiling, separation of smoking versus non-smoking areas of the casino, and so you would have the opportunity to choose which side you wanted to play in and our employees would have the opportunity to choose which side they wanted to work in,” says Brown-Russell.

Opponents of the ban, which went into effect on April 22, say it will cost the city at least $3.6 million annually. Harrah’s says it’s already feeling the economic pain of transforming into a smoke-free casino.

“I can’t tell you exactly what the numbers look like; our numbers are certified by the state of Louisiana, but we believe that we’re gonna feel an impact in revenues not just for Harrah’s but on the state and the city levels as well,” says Brown-Russell.