Will Casinos Change Their Smoking Policies Upon Reopening?

Planet Hollywood casino will be smoke-free upon re-opening. I imagine others will follow suit.

 

I hope this is true, we like the PH casino, hit a quarter RF there a few moons ago. It wasn't as smoky as the other casinos though, maybe because it opened to the mall.

 

Unfortunately or fortunately ( however you view it) on 5/14 Caesar’s stated it to be untrue.

 

It's possible, but the higher-rollers tend to avoid PR generally. There's certainly a lot of stuff that high-rollers get away with, but big bettors having different privileges from the $15/hand player isn't anything new. And there are definitely whales who don't smoke.

I think this is exactly the issue that's ongoing, and something that the labor unions are keeping an eye on. 20 years ago "no smoking in the casino" would have been anathema, but no-smoking tables and bars in non-gaming spaces are way more common now. After all, they used to use asbestos and lead paint in houses.

I'm personally indifferent on smoking in newer places with decent ventilation and high ceilings, but if there was going to be a time to move away from allowing it, now is that time.

 

Also with the sentiment from casinos regarding Covid being employee and guest health, Ithink it makes it hard to take a stand in favor of smoking when there's very obvious well know health issues that result from employees being constantly exposed to second hand smoke.

Certainly not pandemic type stuff, but I think the optics could be weird if there's a push to bring smoking back as it is today while also advertising all the things you're doing for health and safety.

 

No smoking and no food on the casino floor, I can understand and even grudgingly agree with. But no DRINKS??? Might as well stay home and play games on the laptop!

 

I'll just say it straight up -- it would be flat out wrong for the casinos to even try to take any stand for smoking. If the casinos want to do what is ethical with respect to health and safety, then there aren't really choices or options in the current environment -- the only correct course of action here would be to ban smoking/vaping/etc. of any kind inside the property, and come down hard on any patron who attempts to light up. (No exceptions -- not even for whales.) Especially if the casino is one of those that will mandate that all patrons wear masks while on the gaming floor. To do otherwise would expose any casino manager (or other equivalent decision maker) who claims to care about the health and safety of their patrons as a hypocrite.

If we dig down into the science, one should find that science goes one step further. There are more than enough studies, some going as far back as several decades, that have pretty much established that: (1) no matter how good a casino's filtration system is, the only safe level of smoke exposure is still zero; and (2) over the long-term, the net effect on financial performance from a smoking ban is non-negative. The case is practically made for permanent smoking bans coming out of this pandemic. Maybe these unusual times that we live in will be the impetus needed (or not, with what's going on between scientists and politicians these days).

Then there are the issues of certain habits, misdeeds, and worse that are associated exclusively with smokers -- but what I'd have to contribute to that discussion would be an essay unto itself and also beyond the scope of this thread.

 

They shutdown casinos entirely for 2.5 months for our health and safety. Surely the same logic could apply to smoking for our health and safety...

Of course, the dilemma with banning smoking in the casinos is where to all the smokers go? Outside on the sidewalk where tourists are walking? That just shifts the problem.

 

So I swear I’m not a smoker but to me, there’s a difference in a government mandated closure during a pandemic and banning an unhealthy but legal activity. They can say they’re concerned about our health and safety for both but they didn’t really have a choice in closing like they do for smoking.

Smokers will obviously not have a mask on and will be exhaling smoke into the air. If they’re sick, could that make someone else sick? Maybe. That might be enough reason to go nonsmoking temporarily.

If there’s a dedicated smoking section, that seems worse because any staff that works in there would have a greater exposure.

I honestly don’t know why I care though-I love nonsmoking places and I hate the dirty ashtrays on the slot machine. Like on the blue or red Quick Hits because it’s always right next to the buttons.

 

480,000 smokers die per year, 41,000 from second hand smoke. Covid has killed under 100,000. Fill in your own blanks.

 

I doubt the Vegas casinos will go smoke free. They have already lost enough money for one year.

 

Not exactly a fair comparison. People who light up a cigarette aren't somewhere between 0.1% and 1% likely to die within a month of having their first ciggy.

The actual percentage of death from smoking is probably much higher, but it is also a significantly longer period of time.

 

I am a non-smoker and normally don’t mind it too much in the nicer casinos (with good ventilation), as most people I gamble with are nice about it and blow their smoke away from the table or stand up to smoke. Often, it’s some bystander or someone walking by that is being discourteous. I will sometimes ask for a table to be non-smoking after this happens as I don’t want that person to sit down.

I wasn’t going to wade into this argument, but I remember playing in Illinois at the Grand Victoria and wondered why the place smelled clean, and then I realized there is no smoking there. So while it won’t stop my going if they keep it, I would be happy if they did ban smoking. Only concern there is if you have to walk through a ton of smokers just outside the casino, so they need to have a plan to manage that (maybe an interior space like some airports?).

 

They can use all the real estate from the soon to be closed buffets for smoking lounges

 

Actually the buffet areas might just work. They would be large enough. Throw some machines in there and yay! (after coronavirus for me.. )

For my thinking, it is less about all the second hand smoke etc. That has always been there and I get it, and it is reason enough, but the good reason to stop it 'now' is no matter how I have tried to change how I smoke, when I flick my ashes I am touching the part of the filter that was in my mouth. So first you have to take off the mask, you blow out, which from the reports i have seen on tv, may send your ickies further than the 6' or make it stay in the air longer. Plus the ickies do need to fall somewhere, which would probably be the machines. And then I flick my ashes and contaminate my hands and then touch money that goes into the machine, my purse, my phone etc all of which will get touched again after I go wash or disinfect my hands :/ Nevermind that while I have been playing someone else's ickies may have got on my hands from blowing smoke, touching money, ickies falling.. and then I smoke and touch the filter that touched my lips and wooohoo I get sick.

 

Hmmm... This is an interesting topic for me.

I quit almost two years ago and went from 4-5 trips a year for a decade down to 3 trips in two years.

Vegas was "extra" escape/relax for me as it was the ONLY place you could smoke freely. Once I quit smoking, I still loved Vegas but was always scared I'd cave. I enjoyed my trips less and started visiting my local.

I believe Vegas should remain Sin City and think adults should be permitted to smoke, even if I don't.... But it would be nice to go stress free and smoke free.

Now that it's closed I'm jonesing for a trip, smoking or not!! I think I'll appreciate it more and have the same old Vegas appreciation now.

 

Congrats on quitting!!! It has been entering my mind more and more. I think I may have previously mentioned but if Vegas went to no smoking, for me personally I think it would definitely help.

 

Thanks! This is the longest I've gone and it feels really good, but I know if I have one I'm a full time smoker again.

Thinking about it is the first step! And don't be discouraged if you fail! I think the average smoker tries 12 times before it sticks and every time gets you a little closer

 

I always plan on quitting but then I have a vegas trip planned and I'm like yeah I can't quit before vegas because I will fail when I am there. I have no problem not smoking in the casino here, but there is just something about lighting a smoke when you get a bonus round that is soooo much better haha. It is part of the draw really. But we have had non smoking casinos for so long, it really isn't a thing.
I will park myself in that smoking section when I can though.

 

I can relate. That’s exactly what I do too!!