Indoor smoking was once a common and expected feature of casinos. But growing health concerns related to secondhand smoke and the all-time low smoking rate of only 11 percent suggest it is only a matter of time until casinos no longer allow indoor smoking.
In fact, lawmakers in New Jersey and Rhode Island are closer than ever to passing legislation that would close the casino smoking loophole to protect the health of workers and non-smoking guests.
As head of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR), I lead our organization’s mission to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars and casinos. ANR continues to shine a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound, life-saving public health measures, and has successfully protected 61 percent of the population with local or statewide smoke-free workplace, restaurant and bar laws.
Thanks to the organizing of hundreds of casino workers in Atlantic City and a growing number of states, the issue of casino smoking policies and worker health has gained national attention and is fueling a broad movement for more casinos to go smoke-free indoors.
When smoking was brought back into Atlantic City casinos in July 2021, those workers created Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), to mobilize their colleagues to fight for the right to a safe and healthy work environment. Since then, CEASE has expanded to include chapters in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Kansas, with several more to come.
Their campaign has been incredibly successful in recruiting casino workers to join the movement and push lawmakers to finally consider legislation to close the casino smoking loophole.
Earlier this year, Atlantic City casino workers and a coalition of public health advocates gathered in Trenton to urge New Jersey lawmakers to end the outdated practice of indoor smoking in casinos. During hearings before multiple committees in the state legislature, workers shared harrowing stories of being forced to deal table games during pregnancy or chronic illnesses as guests blew smoke right in their faces.
Toxic Work Environment—Literally
The Rhode Island House Committee on Finance hosted a recent hearing that included testimony from workers about closing the casino smoking loophole. “I’m personally dealing with the effects of secondhand smoke and I’m currently out of work due to respiratory issues,” said Vanessa Baker, a table games supervisor at Bally’s Tiverton and member of CEASE Rhode Island. “Since indoor smoking was reinstated last year, every day when we walk into the casino, dealers know we’re being exposed to toxic cancer-causing chemicals in exchange for a paycheck, just to support our families.”
In addition to support from CEASE, legislation to close the loophole is supported by the United Auto Workers, the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
More and more, casinos nationwide are going smoke-free, including Park MGM on the Las Vegas Strip. More than 1,000 gaming properties across 38 states don’t permit smoking indoors, and 20 states have laws requiring commercial casinos to be smoke-free indoors.
To be clear, many in the industry are eager to engage in conversations about indoor smoking. The Indian Gaming Association has hosted multiple public discussions at its annual conference. The Navajo Nation passed legislation in 2021 that made its four casinos smoke-free indoors. Tribal casinos have been leaders in ending indoor smoking and protecting their employees from dangerous secondhand smoke; approximately 160 tribal casinos have adopted 100 percent smoke-free indoor air policies.
Too many, though, continue to employ the sky-is-falling scare tactics about jobs and revenues that contradict independent analysis of competitive casino markets where that just didn’t happen.
The latest data from Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming found that casinos without indoor smoking are outperforming their smoking counterparts.
“Data from multiple jurisdictions clearly indicates that banning smoking no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue,” the report states. “In fact, non-smoking properties appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.”
Further, the leading organization dealing with gambling addiction warns legislators that continuing to allow indoor smoking in casinos will only encourage gambling addiction. But passing bipartisan bills to close the casino smoking loophole would help to address this concern.
“Making casinos smoke-free is likely to reduce the incidence of problem gambling and improve public health,” said the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), in letters to members of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly.
Taking Responsibility
The C3 report notes that another study, funded and frequently cited by the industry, admits that casinos don’t want smokers to take a break from gambling—a key principle of responsible gaming.
“Casinos throughout North America have made commitments to support responsible gambling initiatives,” according to the C3 report. “Virtually all operators have links to websites that provide additional information regarding playing responsibly. A recent study commissioned by the Casino Association of New Jersey projects gaming revenue losses based on smokers having to take breaks. What the authors of that report unwittingly acknowledge is that a casino that prohibits smoking risks losing gaming revenue, because a certain portion of players who smoke decide during their smoke break to walk away.
“In other words, they chose to play responsibly, and taking a periodic smoking break allowed them to do so. Their argument that a casino will make more money if smokers remain at their games is the antithesis of one of the principles of responsible gaming.”
Beyond the harmful impact that secondhand smoke has on casino guests and employees, the C3 report points out that allowing indoor smoking leads to increased costs and energy and water consumption related to the frequent maintenance and cleaning costs for carpets, table game felts, furniture upholstery and gaming devices.
Some casino executives have also claimed that state-of-the-art air filtration systems can offset the dangers of secondhand smoke. While these claims may be well-intended, the experts better suited to speak on these issues have examined the issue of indoor smoking and have come to very different conclusions.
Engineering professionals from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), a technical society that develops standards for indoor environmental quality, have also provided expert analysis to lawmakers and industry executives on the issue of casinos handling secondhand smoke.
In a recent letter to the Rhode Island House Committee on Finance, ASHRAE wrote, “(Ventilation systems) are not effective against secondhand smoke” and “can reduce only odor and discomfort, but cannot eliminate exposure. There is no currently available or reasonably anticipated ventilation or air-cleaning system that can adequately control or significantly reduce the health risks of (environmental tobacco smoke) to an acceptable level.”
The Future is Smoke-Free
A recent study on secondhand smoke by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health examined air quality in Las Vegas casinos. The report, titled “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Your Lungs,” evaluated particulate matter—an indicator for secondhand smoke—in casinos that are smoke-free indoors, and compared the results to casinos that allow smoking. They affirmed that unsafe levels of secondhand smoke were still present in the areas of the casinos where smoking was otherwise prohibited, and that prohibiting smoking throughout the entirety of a casino is the only way to prevent the harms of secondhand smoke.
Some in the gaming industry insist on catering to a shrinking population (only one in nine adults report to be smokers), while forcing their workers to choose between their health and a paycheck. But times have changed, and the status quo is neither acceptable nor a wise business decision. Casinos that do not allow indoor smoking generate more revenue than their smoke-filled competitors and the majority of people prefer a smoke-free environment.
Earlier this year, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, the first permanent casino to open in Virginia, met with sharp criticism from guests and employees for allowing smoking across the gaming floor. After a week of bad press and negative feedback, it adjusted its policies to limit smoking to a specific section of the casino. While this is ultimately not the best solution for addressing health concerns, it illustrates the public’s strong preference for smoke-free casinos.
Operating smoke-free indoors does not force casinos to abandon guests who smoke. As casinos consider post-pandemic upgrades or expansions, opting for outdoor smoking patios, where no employees would have to work, would be a better investment than ventilation systems that are ineffective against secondhand smoke.
Rather than fighting for the right to expose their workers to secondhand smoke, casinos would be better off exploring options that improve working conditions for frontline workers and create a positive gaming environment for their guests. Casino workers, public health advocates and experts across many industries agree that going smoke-free indoors makes the most sense and can contribute to the long-term success of the industry.
