By Sharon Harris-Zlotnick
Covid permanently changed a lot of things about the way we do business in America. One of them is the rules related to smoking in casinos.
Nationwide, more than 20 states and 150 tribal casinos of all sizes rejected indoor smoking after reopening in 2020. The number increases every month.
Although New Jersey was among the first states to prohibit indoor smoking back in 2006, it was a partial ban because it created a loophole for Atlantic City’s casinos, allowing them to designate indoor smoking areas instead.
Over the past 16 years, casino employees have loudly voiced their concerns and desires to rid their workplaces of all smoking.
The issue was supposed to take center stage on Thursday, Sept. 22, during the gaming industry’s East Coast Gaming Congress (ECGC). Suddenly, the scheduled “Gaming Revenues Going Up in Smoke?” session was canceled without explanation.
The three-member panel included heavy hitters from both sides of the issue, including Resorts Casino Hotel President and CEO Mark Giannantonio, Americans for Nonsmokers Rights (ANR) Foundation President and CEO Cynthia Hallett, and Greenwood Racing (PARX Casino in Bensalem, Pa.) CEO Eric Hausler.
Giannantonio recently assumed the presidency of the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ). Several of his member companies have rejected a proposed indoor smoking ban, which they believe would cost them customers and income.
To protest the cancellation, the Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects (CEASE) arranged for 100 casino workers to march on the Boardwalk at the Hard Rock. Theresa Williams was among that group. The 40-year casino veteran, who has worked at the Borgata since its 2003 opening, rejects the notion that the casinos would lose money.
“We reopened at 50 percent capacity. There was no entertainment and limited restaurants, and we still beat 2019. For us, there is no going back,” said Williams.
Hallett agrees.
ANR, a national non-profit public health organization formed in 1976, works at the grass-roots level to advocate for non-smoking environments in workplaces, public places, offices, airplanes, restaurants, bars and casinos.
“In 15 years of attending gaming meetings, I have learned about the benefits of smoke-free. Nationwide, 76 percent of the U.S. population is protected by state smoking laws,” Hallett said. “We are not anti-smoke, but pro clean air.”
During a CEO session of industry leaders, Hausler described how PARX “turned the building inside and out” during the closure to clean everything. PARX executives decided to keep the casino smoke-free once it reopened in June 2020.
“We built an outdoor smoking patio. After four hours, we never let indoor smoking return. We took a ‘let the chips fall where they may’ attitude because our customer base was evenly divided. I don’t see why we would return to indoor smoking,” he said.
How did this movement grow in a country where smoking was part of the national culture for decades?
Laws against smoking, or laws implementing strict smoking regulations, first appeared in the 1980s. While controversial for many years, smoking in casino hotels and/or gaming floors became a contentious topic in the early 2000s.
Delaware enacted its Delaware Clean Indoor Air Law in November 2002, sparking fears of declining revenues and layoffs at the state’s racinos, which are combined casinos and racetracks.
But any revenue declines were temporary and minimal. Wherever non-smoking policies inside the casino building appeared, revenues on the gaming floor, restaurants, lounges or almost anywhere else were not adversely impacted.
It has been a slow process, but the drumbeat to include casino areas in any smoking prohibitions has only grown stronger.
Two years of pandemic shutdowns, and subsequent re-openings, have also affected operators and how they think. Covid has propelled the movement, thanks to shifting attitudes about pulmonary and cardiac health.
Those fortunate enough to be Covid-free so far don’t want it, and those who survived Covid with mild or moderate symptoms don’t want it again.
ANR Advisor Chris Moyer warns that New Jersey has increasingly become an island in the Mid-Atlantic region. Neighboring states like Delaware, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania place added pressure on New Jersey to reevaluate its position.
The situation may be close to resolution. As of Sept. 26, non-smoking legislation, which would eliminate the smoking exemption in casinos and simulcasting facilities, could become a reality.
A majority of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly now support identical bills-S254 and A2151. Of 40 senators, 22 are now co-sponsors; 43 of 80 Assembly members have signed on as co-sponsors.
Gov. Phil Murphy has promised to sign the legislation if it passes.
Moyer emphasizes the timeliness of eliminating indoor casino smoking. He says, “Banning indoor smoking has turned conventional wisdom on its head. People are thinking twice about where to spend their money. Of all the things that attract guests under 40, allowing indoor smoking isn’t one of them.
“We are 90 yards down the field, but the last 10 yards can be the hardest.”
Sharon Harris-Zlotnick has worked as a consumer freelance journalist since 2000. She has also reported on the U.S. casino industry for multiple business trade magazines for 28 years.
Since October 2016, Sharon has taught the Hooray for Hollywood course for the Friends of Encore Learning at Stockton (FELS) adult enrichment program in Margate and Atlantic City.
