Published on: September 20, 2024, 08:22h.
Last refresh on: September 20, 2024, 08:22h.
This current week, the nation’s largest clean indoor air advocacy reached out to gaming regulators and legislators in states where indoor smoking remains permitted, urging them to push for smoke-free gaming.
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) sent correspondence to gaming commissions and influential figures in states where commercial casinos permit or can allocate areas for indoor tobacco use. Fourteen states authorize indoor smoking in casinos. ANR expressed policy concerns to 13 of those states, excluding Arkansas for reasons unknown.
The ANR’s letters coincide with September being Responsible Gaming Education Month in the gaming industry. The anti-smoking group questions how states can endorse responsible gambling while allowing smoking.
Advocates for responsible gaming argue that smoking bans help in controlling problem gambling by prompting smokers to pause their play.
ANR Appeals
ANR maintains that responsible gaming efforts are ineffective when indoor smoking persists.
Permitting smoking on gaming floors not only poses significant health risks to employees and customers, but also promotes prolonged gambling sessions without breaks — a crucial aspect of responsible play,” stated ANR President and CEO Cynthia Hallett.
“ANR is eager to discuss with the Commission how a smoke-free environment can reinforce and improve responsible gaming practices. Banning indoor smoking will protect the health of customers and staff while nurturing a more responsible and sustainable gaming atmosphere for all,” read Hallett’s appeal to the Nevada Gaming Commission.
In addition to Nevada, ANR contacted regulators and lawmakers in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
Most of the above-mentioned states have clean indoor air regulations that prohibit tobacco use indoors in most workplaces and public spaces but make exceptions for casinos. State legislators primarily have the power to amend these regulations, as efforts to eliminate indoor smoking exemptions through state courts have not been successful so far.
The CDC stipulates that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and the only way to fully protect employees and customers is for casinos to enforce 100% smoke-free policies.
Smoking and Responsible Gaming
Smoking rates in the US continue to decrease. The American Lung Association notes that the adult smoking rate has dropped from 43% in 1965 to under 12% in 2022.
Despite this decline, the smoking rate among regular gamblers is believed to be significantly higher. A peer-reviewed study published by ScienceDirect in 2021 revealed that over 62% of gamblers meeting criteria for a gambling disorder reported using tobacco.
The casino industry argues that smoking bans impact revenue and, consequently, jeopardize jobs. A Las Vegas-based gaming consultancy concluded in 2022 that these claims contradict the industry’s commitment to responsible gaming.
The researchers determined that allowing indoor smoking goes against responsible gaming measures.
ANR has supported a grassroots alliance of casino employees against smoking that originated in New Jersey’s Atlantic City and has expanded to several other casino states. Along with Atlantic City, CEASE — Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects — now has chapters in Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.