What states allow smoking in casinos?

Indoor smoking is a volatile topic in the United States, especially when it concerns casinos. While many states that allow commercial casinos have passed laws to prohibit indoor smoking, especially on casino gaming floors, many others still allow smokers, whether this is in designated areas or on the actual gaming floors.

Casino staffers, such as live dealers, are suffering from the effects of second-hand smoking, with the pandemic forcing many casinos to reconsider their stance on indoor smoking shortly. So, today, we ask the question: what states allow smoking in casinos?

Smoking in US Casinos – From Las Vegas to New Jersey

For starters, the data we have on smoking and casinos today comes from multiple sources, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one of the most prominent data troves on such health data.

Presently, 22 states and US territories allow commercial casinos to operate, with 4 states (Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania) requiring designated smoking areas, whereas another 9 states (Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Washington), as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, mandate smoke-free gaming floors.

The remaining states permit smoking in some or all casino areas, depending on local regulations and casino policies, with Nevada and New Jersey the most prominent examples.

Are Casinos Exempt from Indoor Smoking Laws?

The short answer is – yes, in some cases. In Nevada, for example, the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits indoor smoking, but the Silver State casinos are a notable exemption. Nevada allows casinos to actually set their own rules on indoor smoking, although areas that can be frequented by minors must be smoke-free.

As of right now, most casinos maintain an indoor smoking policy, citing economic data that indicates that smokers are still a valuable part of the clientele. However, many of the most prominent properties are now beginning to prohibit indoor smoking on casino floors, with prominent examples including:

• Park MGM (No Smoking)
• Gold and Silver Inn (No Smoking)
• Plaza Hotel & Casino (Designated Area)
• Atlantis Casino Resort Spa (Designated Area)

However, the Plaza and Atlantis offer smoke-free areas as opposed to the Park MGM and Gold and Silver Inn, which have completely banned it. The list of smoke-free casinos is growing, however slowly, in Nevada, where the competition for paying customers, especially amid a tourism slump, is cutthroat.

So, yes, there are non-smoking casinos in Las Vegas already, but most are still hesitant if they should follow their cue.

Can You Smoke in Casinos in Atlantic City?

Another major state that allows smoking inside casinos is New Jersey. Atlantic City is the only place that currently hosts casinos, and yes, indoor smoking is allowed. Casino workers have been adamant in their opposition to indoor smoking, calling for an end to the exemption mandate.

Despite bipartisan political support from high-ranking politicians, New Jersey is not any closer to restricting indoor casino smoking. However, smoking is not allowed everywhere on casino floors in Atlantic City.

Rather, up to 25% of the gaming floor may be designated for smoking. While this allows patrons to filter out of these areas, most workers face the serious health effects of secondhand smoke. This has prompted organizations such as Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights to assail the argument put forward by casinos – that there is an economic rationale behind the casino’s refusal.

Yet, experts have argued that with only 11.6% of the American population smoking, casinos are past the point where they would rely on smokers to generate the bulk of their revenue. In fact, casinos that have gone smoke-free have not experienced any economic downturn or even improved their showing.

Why Are Some States Still Allowing Casino Smoking?

States have various reasons for allowing indoor smoking on casino floors. The most important thing is usually that this is how things used to be, and lawmakers are now cautious about enacting a law that could bring further economic downturn.

In New Jersey, for example, while lawmakers are firmly opposed to smoking at least publicly, they have been slow to enact any meaningful change that would essentially restrict the activity on gaming floors, even if it’s up to 25% of the designated space.

Lawmakers are likely cautious and listening to casino operators that operators are still going through a rough patch, with the recent tourist downturn another reason to believe that this is true. However, opponents suggest that this dilly-dallying only ends up harming actual people and their health, not companies’ bottom lines.

Are Casinos Experiencing a Gambling Fallacy about Smokers?

Smokers used to be a fair few, but their numbers have been thinning. These days, casinos may be worried that without smokers, their bottom lines will suffer, but there is really no good justification for this, given how other casinos that have foregone smoking have fared in the wake of a smoke ban.

While smokers are more likely to gamble and spend more, this does not mean that they all do. In fact, the present evidence suggests that after banning smoking, most properties either retain or improve their financial results.

Smoking Is on the Way Out, Casinos Resist

Smoking is on its way out of American casinos, and there is no mistaking this trend. The number of adults smoking has fallen from 46.5 million in the early aughts to perhaps 35 million (around 11.6% - 12.6%) of the population.

The phasing out will be natural, as fewer people are smoking these days, and the trend has been going steadily downwards. Yet, casinos are still resisting, and so are the main gambling hubs in the country, with Nevada and New Jersey determined to give patrons the right to light up as freely as they possibly could, given the fraught political and societal context around smoking.

FAQs

Is smoking allowed in Las Vegas casinos?

Smoking in Vegas casinos is largely left at the discretion of the casino properties themselves. The majority of casinos in Las Vegas do allow patrons to smoke. However, a tentative change is coming with some properties blocking smoking altogether, and others piloting designated smoking areas instead.

Why is smoking allowed in casinos in the United States?

Smoking in the United States is allowed due to economic reasons. Most casinos argue that if they are banned from catering to smokers, they would face financial hardship. This argument has been challenged by economists, casino insiders, and non-smoking activists, however.

Do casinos in New Jersey allow smokers?

Yes, New Jersey’s Atlantic City casinos are all open to smokers. This has been the subject of fierce debate, with activists pressuring politicians and casinos to end the exemption that allows indoor smoking in the Garden State’s gaming properties.

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