Press Release 2 - May 12, 2023

May 12, 2023 | Contact: press@no-smoke.org

Shreveport, LA— Following news that the Shreveport City Council is considering rolling back smokefree protections for casino workers, Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights issued the following statement:

“It is outrageous that the city council is considering repealing critical smokefree protections for Shreveport casino workers. The dangers of secondhand smoke are widely known and yet, some lawmakers are trying to bring smoking back indoors.

“Times have changed and smoking in casinos is neither acceptable nor a wise business decision. The majority of people prefer a smokefree environment and casinos that do not allow indoor smoking generate more revenue than their smoke-filled competitors. 

“We strongly urge the city council to reject this ordinance so that casino workers are not forced to choose between their health and a paycheck.”

BACKGROUND
More and more casinos nationwide are going smokefree, including Park MGM on the Las Vegas Strip. At least 160 sovereign Tribal gaming venues have implemented 100% smokefree policies during COVID-19, 20 states require commercial casinos to be smokefree indoors, and more than 1,000 gaming properties do not permit smoking indoors.

A new study published last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found adult cigarette smoking rates in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low, with only 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers. Another report from the CDC Office on Smoking and Health examined air quality in Las Vegas casinos. The report, entitled “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Your Lungs” evaluated particulate matter – an indicator for secondhand smoke – in casinos that are smokefree indoors, and compared the results to casinos that allow smoking. They affirmed that prohibiting smoking throughout the entirety of a casino is the only way to prevent the harms of secondhand smoke.

A report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming found that casinos without indoor smoking outperform their smoking counterparts. “Data from multiple jurisdictions clearly indicates that banning smoking no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue. In fact, non-smoking properties appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.”