STURGIS - Although the war over a statewide smoking ban in South Dakota is still raging, one bar in Sturgis has already taken the step to become smoke-free.

Since Nov. 2 of last year, the Loud American Roadhouse on Main Street in Sturgis has not allowed smoking indoors.

Loud American Roadhouse owner Mark Bruch said the Roadhouse decided to go smoke-free after the restaurant side of the business began to grow and attract more families.

"We're open year round. Obviously, we're a rally business, but it's only two weeks and we'd like to cater to business year round," Bruch said. "It felt like the right thing to do."

First Gold Casino in Deadwood is another establishment in the area that has gone smoke-free within the last year. Seven of the 11 gaming rooms at First Gold do not allow smoking, general manager Brad Hemmah said.

"We've gotten a lot of comments from customers who are very happy that we're offering this," he said. "Our employees are very appreciative of better air to breathe too."

Bruch said the Roadhouse has had "surprisingly few" problems since they went smoke-free. He said he knew a few customers had become upset about the smoking ban, but he doesn't think it has impacted the number of customers who visit the restaurant.

Losing customers at the rally to bars that allow smoking isn't a top concern, Bruch said, because many customers are visiting from states that have public smoking bans and it's "uncommon for them to light up inside."

Hemmah agreed.

"Vacationers have been telling us that they're surprised smoking is allowed in public areas, so it hasn't been a problem," he said. "We're surprised at that, but the fact of the matter is that most states are ahead of us in non-smoking legislation."

At First Gold, signage is posted in the casino rooms and patrons are asked to step outside if they want to light up. Hemmah said they haven't had any problems with enforcement of the ban.

The smoking ban is "completely enforceable" during the daytime hours at the Roadhouse, but Bruch said his staff is going to "do what we can do" to stop someone from lighting up a cigarette at night.

"It's not the highest thing on my priority list," he said. "If someone lights up in the middle of a concert, I'll probably be worried about something else."

The Roadhouse will have doors open for foot traffic that will provide ventilation in case someone does decide to smoke indoors, he added. Smoking is allowed on the front patio, and an area behind the building open during the rally.