Analysis
With almost 5,000 responses, this is undoubtedly the hottest topic we’ve polled so far and, as demonstrated by the breakdown of the responses, indicates why this is such a difficult quandary to resolve. While those people strongly antagonistic to any smoking comprise the biggest category, if you put together those who feel strongly about being allowed to smoke and those who take a live-and-let-live stance and oppose a ban on principle, they collectively outnumber the anti-smokers.
Is an outright ban or rigid segregation of smokers likely at any point in the future? A few years ago, in the light of disastrous experiments banning smoking here before, we’d have said absolutely no way. Following the precedents set in Atlantic City, Australia, and Ontario, and the 2006 Clean Indoor Air Act in Nevada, then perhaps, although any such move is likely, ultimately, to be governed by economic criteria, since the casino lobby is so powerful in Nevada. And the data from other gaming jurisdictions seems confusing at present and tends to be generated either by one side of the argument or the other, with any balanced statistical approach hard to find. However, here’s some information, for what it’s worth:
- A smoking ban when into effect n Australian video poker parlors in July of this year and Bloomberg reported a subsequent profit drop of 12% by Tabcorp Holdings, the country’s largest gaming company.
- When the casinos of Atlantic City were presented with the specter of a smoking ban, they claimed they could expect a 20 percent fall in revenue, it would cause 3,400 casino workers to lose their jobs, and the state would lose $93 million in taxes over a two-year period. In reality, initial figures indicate a drop more in the region of 2% and there were other factors aside from the smoking restrictions (a compromise of dedicating 25% of the casino floor to self-contained smoking parlors was reached) that may have contributed to this revenue decline.
- Revenue at Casino Windsor and the Slots at Windsor Raceway plunged dramatically following Ontario's sweeping ban on smoking last spring. Revenue at the casino plummeted 33.8 per cent and officials blamed the smoking ban, but also cited disruption caused by construction at the casino, as well as the continuing effects of the high Canadian dollar, perceived difficulties crossing the border due to increased immigration controls, and competition from the three Detroit casinos. So finding out what percentage of the drop was solely due to the smoking ban is pretty much impossible.
With new clean-air technologies being introduced, including such hi-tech options as "air walls" between dealers and players, for example, and the availability of increasingly advanced filtration systems like those being introduced at City Center and Echelon Place (both are seeking LEED certification, which necessitates clean air), we tend to think that a casino smoking ban won’t be necessary. As one reader who responded to this poll put it, "The first time I went to Red Rock, I was impressed by how much smoke I
wasn’t being forced to breath. It was wonderful!"
