How much more before non-smoking casinos?

I was reading this article on the decline of smoking at it got me thinking:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/in-sin-city-an-old-vice-gets-snuffed-out/ar-BBryWRk?li=BBnbfcL

Currently 80% of casino guests are non-smokers. How much more does that number need to increase before they just go non-smoking?

 

Do the math.

If they outlaw it then they would potentially lose 20% of their customers. Thats 20% plus their spouses.

Can your business afford that?

 

How many people don't go to casino's because of the smoke? Those people may be more than the potential lost 20%.

I avoid the smoky casinos and would patronize them if they were not so smoky. This can't happen soon enough.

 

According to the article, it's not just the patrons...but employees who suffer the effects of second hand smoke.

I quit smoking many moons ago. There are non-smoking sections in our casino (Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa) and, just bein' honest, the demographic here is such that there is a lot of smoking and oxygen equipment in the casino. Oh, and there's the Seminole Smoke Shop which I assume offers some measure of tax-free purchase (though it does charge Fl. sales tax).

I think it is, like all decisions, a bottom line issue for the casinos. Although there is the reported decline in gaming revenue, it may be offset by other revenue streams. Personally, I can live without the smoke, but I tolerate it more at the casino. Kinda like the price of admission sort of thinking.

http://www.businessinsider.com/las-vegas-gaming-vs-non-gaming-revenue-2013-3

 

Strongly disagree they will lose business. Personally I would love to visit a non smoking casino, it would be a great USP.

If they adopt the approach in most of Europe, just do a blanket ban and people have no choice.

Its great coming home and not smelling like an ash tray.

 

There is no smoking in the Casinos here in Ontario and it doesn't seem to hurt business. There are smoking areas set up outside with heaters.

 

Gambling smokers need gambling far more than they need smoking.

 

We choose Caesar Windsor over the Detroit casinos because it is non-smoking.

 

New Orleans passed a no smoking law that included casinos. Revenues are down slightly.

http://www.onlinepoker.net/poker-news/casino-news/louisiana-casino-revenues-flat-223m-february/29187

I think I would counter Ken's post with "Gamblers need gambling more than they want clean air." I don't think anybody who really wants to go to a casino is staying away because of smoking.

 

Indeed, gamblers need their fixes, and with that LCD, nuke smoking and Vegas survives just fine.

 

No. But at 15% or 10%, would it be time, especially, a subset of your non smoking customers are passionately for a non-smoking environment and there should be some cost savings associated with going non-smoking?

 

My opinion from a smoker, I will not play in a non smoking casino. There is nothing better than gambling and smoking, I'm sure someone will say the say about having a beer while gambling. I don't drink and I have drunk people specially when they are messing with my gambling (hitting on 17 with the dealer showing a 6). Why not ban drinking as well? I understand that the first excuse will be "secondhand smoking kills, secondhand drinking doesn't" well I disagree with that statement since drunk drivers kill a high amount of people, but it might not be the case in a casino. Still I will not be against non smoking sections, I will never visit them, but that is an option. Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get it out of my chest.

 

I don't have the facts to back it up, but it seems to me that more than 20% of gamblers smoke. Second hand smoke bothers me, but I would defend the rights of someone to puff away.

The Mohegan Sun casino in Wilkes Barre is set up in a circle and one half is non-smoking and of course, most of the empty slots were on the smoking sides. While waiting for my wife, it was pretty funny to see folks entering the casino smoking side and immediately light up.

 

You don't seem to understand the problem here...my drinking does not bother you at all while you're gambling. Your smoke does me...I can't breath, my eyes bother me, I leave feeling ill, etc. Your smoke effects everyone in the casino, my drinking would only effect someone if I drank too much, drove, and had an accident. I don't drink and drive so all that is eliminated.

 

Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland, Ohio is smoke free.

 

First of all, they are doing longitudinal studies on secondhand smoke in casinos focused primarily on dealers. The first report came out a few years ago. There was evidence of the dealers taking in secondhand smoke but it may take more time to see how it impacts their longterm health. That being said, it does negatively affect people with existing chronic ailments like allergies real time now. Beyond that, equating secondhand smoke to drinking is a reach.

At the end of the day, smoking is on the decline. The younger generations have been bombarded with all kinds of anti-smoking information and are now fascinated with e-cigarettes (which is a conversation for another day). At some point, smokers will have to deal with non-smoking casinos the way non-smokers have had to deal with smoking casinos even though the numbers are on our side.

 

It'll be a sad day when I can't light up my one or two cigars per Vegas trip.... I usually do it playing video poker at a bar and never light up if there's someone less than 3 stools away. But if they do ban smoking I guess I can live with it!

 

All businesses including casinos are smoke-free in Illinois. They recently suggested that this is causing them to lose money over the time since this law was passed (started January 1, 2008). They conveniently ignored the decline in the economy in that time as part of the reason, blaming it all on being smoke-free while neighboring states (IN, IA, MO) have casinos that allow smoking. Personally, I much prefer the non-smoking businesses, and the fact that they are all on the same playing field should mean something. Especially when it comes to restaurants, non-smoking is so much cleaner and a much more pleasant atmosphere.

 

As was Ameristar Blackhawk, CO

 

I've probably had 20 cigarettes in my life, and 100% of those have been smoked in casinos. I kind of enjoy the smoking, drinking, gambling trifecta, but I could live without the smoking part as I do it so rarely anyway. And even though the smoke doesn't bother me the way it bothers some, I certainly wouldn't mind breathing some cleaner air. So I don't feel as strongly as some either way, but on balance I'd probably prefer smoke free casinos.