Most Nevadans think indoor casinos should ban smoking
A majority in Nevada reportedly supports closing a loophole that allows state casinos to smoke indoors anywhere on their gaming floors.
A new study commissioned by the Nevada Tobacco Control and Smoke-Free Coalition finds that nearly 6 in 10 Nevadans believe the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act passed in December. The regulations, which took effect in 2006, should be amended to remove the exemption for casinos.
Normington Petts, a Washington, D.C.-based polling and campaign strategy firm, found that 58% of Nevada voters support requiring casinos to be smoke-free.
The findings come amid legislative efforts in Atlantic City to amend New Jersey's Smoke-Free Air Act, which was also passed in 2006. In Atlantic City, casinos can designate up to 25 percent of gaming floors for indoor tobacco use.
Indoor passive smoke is more dangerous
This week, researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health published a study on air quality in smoking and non-smoking areas of casinos in Nevada. Research has found that secondhand smoke indoors is 18 times more dangerous than outdoors.
Last year, research from the University of Nevada, Reno reached similar conclusions to those from researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the investigation, federal health officials said elevated levels of dangerous particulate matter (PM) were widespread in so-called smoke-free casino areas.
PM particles are 100 times thinner than a human hair and can remain suspended in the air for more than 24 hours. The CDC report concluded that the only way to protect the health of casino workers and guests is to enact a comprehensive smoking ban.
Some commercial gaming states already require their casino floors to be 100 percent smoke-free. These include Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and South Dakota.
Smoking rates in the United States continue to decline. The CDC reports that adult smoking rates dropped from nearly 21% in 2005 to 11.5% in 2021, the latest year surveyed. In Nevada, smoking rates remain slightly higher: About 15 percent of adults still smoke.
Hard Fight
No industry is more influential in Nevada than gambling, with casinos employing more workers in the state than any other industry. MGM Resorts is Nevada's largest employer.
The casino industry has strongly opposed efforts to ban indoor smoking. Casino executives say such rules would lead to players playing in other states where smoking continues or at home casinos that set their own smoking rules.
A survey by the Nevada Tobacco Control and Smoke-Free Coalition found that many Nevadans are skeptical of industry claims that smoking bans will suppress gambling revenue and lead to widespread layoffs. Less than four in 10 said the smoking ban would have a negative impact.
Anti-smoking advocates often point the finger at Parks Casino in North Philadelphia, the only full-service casino in Pennsylvania that does not allow indoor smoking and which continues to dominate the national gambling industry. Some lobbyists believe a smoking ban would help rather than hurt gambling revenue. However, one could also argue that Parks is only a top destination for non-smokers, while other casinos in the Philadelphia market diversify the smoker base.
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Source: www.casino.org
