CARSON CITY -- A University of Nevada, Reno, professor predicted Friday that the coming ban on smoking in public places would not hurt the gaming industry and might encourage more people to gamble.

"Some smokers will complain, but eventually they will come back," said Chris Pritsos, a professor of nutrition. "It might be good news for supermarkets and convenience stores" and their gaming areas. "It might help their business."

Pritsos led a team of researchers that surveyed smoking in casinos and in the smoking areas of stores between August and October.

They found 21.5 percent of gamblers in Las Vegas were smokers, 22.6 percent in the Reno area and 17 percent at Lake Tahoe. In rural Nevada casinos, 36.5 percent of gamblers were smokers, and in smoking areas of drugstores, supermarkets and convenience stores, 42 percent of the gamblers were smokers.

Pritsos noted the rate of smoking by casino gamblers is about the same as the national adult smoking rate of 20.9 percent, and less than the overall Nevada rate. Nevada's adult smoking rate was 23.1 percent in 2004, according to the state Health Division. That is a dramatic drop from 1999, when the Nevada smoking rate of 31 percent topped the nation.

Nevada voters on Nov. 7 passed Question 5, which will prohibit smoking in restaurants, most bars and in the gaming areas of convenience stores, supermarkets and drugstores starting next Friday. The new law, however, does not stop people from smoking in gaming areas of casinos. But smoking will be prohibited in casino restaurants.

Pritsos said he undertook the study as a way to check smoking habits of gamblers, not in response to the Question 5 ballot initiative.

He maintained the study was done in response to a gaming industry assertion that 70 percent of casino gamblers are smokers. The Nevada Resort Association could not be reached to respond to questions about the accuracy of that figure.

Pritsos' team studied the smoking habits of 17,000 gamblers during the summer and fall.

A nonsmoker, Pritsos said the smoking rate in gaming areas of stores is high, but still "well below the 70 percent figure you always hear." And he speculated that the higher smoking rate in rural casinos reflects the higher smoking rate by rural Nevadans.

But he said the rates in Las Vegas and Reno are similar to the smoking rates of their California tourist base. California banned smoking in restaurants in 1995.

"I think in the long run Nevada businesses will be very happy Question 5 was passed," he added.