Having successfully pushed smoking out of their buildings at no economic cost, tribal casino operators have resisted the temptation to re-introduce smoking in their properties.”Ītlantic City casino operators are skeptical. “What was surprising was that, even after mask mandates were lifted and smoking prohibitions remained in place, customers collectively accepted it. “Customers readily understood that mask mandates were incompatible with smoking and accepted the prohibition,” the authors wrote. The authors suggested casino customers accepted changes in many areas of the resort industry during COVID, such as the end of daily guest room service and the shuttering of buffets. The report noted that after the temporary shutdown of the casino industry in 2020, roughly 157 Indian casinos nationwide re-opened as non-smoking properties. Gaming consultant Andrew Klebanow, along with two colleagues at C3 Gaming, authored a research report that indicated gamblers haven’t altered their habits since the pandemic, even when smoking was eliminated. “I don’t think the Strip would have that large of an impact, but in some of the older demographic locals markets, I would assume that it could be fairly significant.”

“I would assume that every state has to move closer toward this inevitability but given that the industry is the biggest employer of jobs in Nevada, there appears to be a strong enough fight against this,” Beynon said. Macquarie Securities gaming analyst Chad Beynon said the fear of lost revenues weighs on Nevada casino operators even as other states continue to implement laws that restrict smoking in public spaces.

Many states, including Pennsylvania, limited smoking in 2020 as part of reopening plans under COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. Several states that legalized casinos over the last couple of decades, such as Maryland, launched with non-smoking casino floors. More than 20 states have either banned or limited smoking inside casinos.

The heated debate has largely been ignored in Nevada, where just two casinos are smoke-free and any mention of a smoking ban meets heavy resistance. New Jersey legislation that would ban smoking inside Atlantic City casinos has led to competing research about whether such action by state lawmakers would further destroy the Boardwalk’s gaming revenue.

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