Connecticut Casinos Don't Intend to Resume Indoor Smoking Habits
Two Native American casinos in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, stopped allowing smoking on their casino floors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tribal-owned establishments have remained smoke-free for more than three years.
A report from the Casino Association of New Jersey claimed that a smoking ban would significantly decrease physical casino visits in Atlantic City. A gaming consultant, Spectrum Gaming, thought that nonsmoking casinos could not compete with venues in nearby Philadelphia, where smoking is allowed in up to half of the floor space.
However, Connecticut casino authorities maintain that the smoking ban has not negatively affected their gaming operations. Jeff Hamilton, the president and general manager at Mohegan Sun, stated that people seem to appreciate a "healthier environment."
Hamilton added that employees feel healthier too.
Jason Guyot, president and CEO of Foxwoods, had a similar view. "Nonsmokers are definitely enjoying it," Guyot mentioned.
Foxwoods collects cigarette butts in dedicated receptacles. Before the pandemic, their sanitation staff said they recycled more than 200 packs of cigarettes daily. The casino's cigarette butts are bagged and sent to TerraCycle, a waste management company in Trenton, New Jersey, which specializes in recycling hard-to-dispose materials.
At Foxwoods, the discarded cigarette butts are separated into plastic pellets and transformed into various products. Excess tobacco and cigarette paper are composted.
No Imminent Lifting of the Ban
Guyot and Hamilton expressed no plans to reinstate indoor smoking in their casinos. They had the autonomy to ban smoking during the pandemic, as they were not subject to any state orders due to the reservations' sovereignty.
The tribes faced a dispute with Governor Ned Lamont (D) over opening their casinos during the early months of the pandemic. In response, the governor directed the Department of Transportation to place warning signs on roads near the resorts: "DON'T GAMBLE WITH COVID. AVOID LARGE INDOOR GATHERINGS." The tribes eventually agreed to shut down in mid-March 2020 and reopened in June without indoor casino smoking.
Despite a 1.5% decline in gross gaming revenue (GGR) from slots, tribal officials are not particularly worried.
The casinos launched online sports betting and iGaming in October 2021, and income from these new platforms offset the 1.5% legacy gaming loss. iGaming GGR totaled $279 million in the fiscal year.
Foxwoods operates DraftKings and FoxPlay, its iGaming platform developed in collaboration with Wondr Nation, the interactive gaming arm of the Mashantucket tribe. The Mohegan Sun joined forces with FanDuel, which manages its sportsbook and iGaming site named Mohegan Sun CT Online Casino.
State's Benefit from Gaming
The state of Connecticut receives 25% of the gross slot revenues earned by Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. Table games' income is not subject to taxation in the tribal compacts.
Additionally, the state gets 18% of GGR from iGaming and a 13.75% levy on sports betting income.
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Source: www.casino.org
