Which US Casinos Have No Smoking?
The number of gaming establishments on the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation’s list that forbid smoking has risen to 1,034.
The list covers commercial resorts, card rooms in California, and locations like the airport’s slots section in Reno-Tahoe. It also includes tribal casinos.
- Big Daddy’s Sports Lounge (Arizona)
- Empire City Casino (New York)
- Greektown Casino Hotel (Michigan)
- Harrah’s New Orleans (Louisiana)
- Hialeah Park Casino and Racetrack (Florida)
- Island View Casino Resort (Mississippi)
- Jack Casino (Ohio)
- Joe’s Bar on Weed Street (Illinois)
- Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort (Arkansas)
- Ocean’s Eleven Casino (California)
- Park MGM (Nevada)
- Resorts World Casino (New York)
- Rivers Casino (Pennsylvania)
- Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort (Arizona)
- Wind Creek (Montgomery, Alabama)
The list includes Wyoming, the least populated state in the union, as well as California, which has 40 million citizens. There are roughly 585,000 people living in Wyoming.
There are 108 gaming establishments in California where smoking is prohibited. Wyoming possesses three.
Montana leads the nation in total people who do not smoke. Despite having a population of only 1.06 million, it is home to 198 smoke-free gaming locations, which is a national record.
Revenue Declines versus Health Risks
Gaming industry executives argue that smoking prohibitions cause revenue to drop and job losses on one side of the casino smoking argument.
Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Atlantic City, told CNBC that his smoking-only roulette, blackjack, and slot machines bring in 50% more revenue than their non-smoking counterparts.
On the other side are casino employees and a few patrons who are worried about the health risks posed by secondhand smoke.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can have negative effects on both children and adults.
According to the CDC tobacco smoke has 7,000 chemicals and their website it states “including hundreds of chemicals that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer.”
A analysis by the Spectrum Gaming Group looked at the financial effects of proposed smoking restrictions in Atlantic City casinos in November 2021. The Casino Association of New Jersey commissioned the report’s creation.
The analysis estimates that smoke-free casinos could result in a 5%–11.9% decrease in total gaming revenue.
According to the research, decreased revenue might result in “a net loss of between 1,021 and 2,512 employment at the casino properties.” The group estimates that there are 22,000 part-time and full-time employees working in the casinos in Atlantic City.
A drop indicates that services can be reduced or even terminated for groups that receive money from gambling taxes.
The New Jersey Association of Area Agencies on Aging warned lawmakers in a letter in May that a smoking ban would have a “devastating impact” on tax-funded programs for senior citizens and those with disabilities. These organizations offer transportation and pharmacological help.
Non Smoking Casinos in Vegas
Park MGM has enacted a smokefree policy in Las Vegas. The resort, which was once known as the Monte Carlo, is situated close to T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, in one of the busiest areas of the Las Vegas Strip.
In response to persistent requests from visitors, the smoking ban was implemented in 2020, according to MGM Resorts president Anton Nikodemus. Smoking is not permitted at Park MGM’s opulent “hotel-within-a-hotel,” NoMad Las Vegas.
The Park MGM and NoMad casinos in Las Vegas did not follow suit and forbid smoking. The only smoke-free casino on the Strip is ParkMGM.
Smoking is permitted in the majority of gambling establishments in Nevada, but it is prohibited in some locations with slot machines, such as the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
The pre-pandemic era saw a decline in gaming revenue if patrons couldn’t smoke, which may be why many casinos allow it today.
According to G3 Gaming, a group of casino consultants based in Las Vegas, “It is an irrefutable fact that a slot machine located in a smoking area of a casino makes more money than a slot machine in a nonsmoking area,.”
The casino’s desire for profit hasn’t done much to pacify anti-smoking advocates.
There are comments from a number of people concerned about the health dangers of secondhand smoke and the potential spread of COVID-19 in the Facebook page “Casino Employees Against Smoking Efforts.”
Health Plea from Casino Employees
Initiatives to outlaw smoking at more casinos are being made in some states as health experts call on politicians to act.
In New Jersey, legislation to outlaw smoking in resorts near Atlantic City is being considered. Democratic governor Phil Murphy has declared he will sign a measure prohibiting smoking at gaming establishments.
One of the New Jersey senators who has agreed to serve as a sponsor of anti-smoking legislation is Sen. Sandra Cunningham, a Democrat from Jersey City.
Other states’ casinos have decided to ban smoking on their own, independent of any official directive.
Closing Smoking Loophole in Casinos
The American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation consultant Randy Hayden, who is located in Louisiana, told Gambling.com that the trend in gambling is heading toward smokefree facilities, “both by law and by choice.”
Hayden added that health and safety had to come first and that casino employees have a right to work in a “smokefree casino.”
“The momentum is clearly on the side of clean, healthy smoke-free air for all casino workers, vendors and guests,” he said.
The pandemic has altered guests’ expectations when they enter a casino, according to the G3 Gaming research, which was published in June. Reduced housekeeping visits and, in some hotel casinos, the removal of buffets are two of them. This includes smoking indoors.
“The pandemic has had a profound effect on consumer attitudes and behaviors across a wide range of industries, including casinos and casino-hotels, and customers have come to accept certain changes once thought unthinkable,” the report states.
During the pandemic the tribal casinos created smoke-free environments. Smoking bans remained even after the wearing of masks rule were lifted. According to the report “Having successfully pushed smoking out of their buildings at no economic cost, tribal casino operators have resisted the temptation to re-introduce smoking in their properties.”
Finding a Middle Ground for Smokers and Non-Smokers
Some riverboat casinos in Louisiana, for instance, give its patrons options by establishing designated smoking spaces outside. In some areas of these locations, such as a smoking lounge or other smoking situations, indoor smoking is permitted.
The Plaza hotel-casino is building a non-smoking slot machine area in downtown Las Vegas for guests who want to bet but don’t want to be around secondhand smoke.
