BOSTON — Massachusetts gamblers who enjoy a smoke with their slots would be out of luck under Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan for three resort casinos.
Patrick’s 80-page gambling bill explicitly bans smoking in indoor areas of state-licensed casinos. Massachusetts would not be at a competitive disadvantage, even though smoking is permitted in vast sections of the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut and at slots parlors in Rhode Island, the governor said.
Patrick told reporters the casino bill “does not change” the state’s workplace smoking ban, which took effect in 2004.
Nationwide, casinos are one of the last bastions for smokers, who for decades have been free to puff away guilt-free alongside the buzz and whirr of casino games. Even though 25 states have indoor smoking bans, many of them exempt gambling facilities.
Foxwoods recently expanded its non-smoking area, but it only covers 11 percent of its 7,200 slot machines.
Arthur Henick, a spokesman for the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, said smoking has long been allowed at casinos that predate the tribe’s Foxwoods resort, including those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
“Historically, casinos have been places where people are allowed to smoke,” he said. “Clearly, many customers are comfortable doing that.”
The American Gaming Association fought smoking regulations in commercial casinos for years, saying it would hurt business. The group has recently softened its stance, as workplace smoking bans have spread across the country.
Brian Lehman, a spokesman for the gaming association, was cautious when asked whether Massachusetts casinos would be at an economic disadvantage by not allowing smoking.
“There is an argument that (a ban) can cut into profits if you have other jurisdictions or Indian casinos nearby that do allow smoking,” he said.
Most Indian casinos do not have to abide by state smoking regulations because they are sovereign nations on reservation land.
Amy Lambiaso, a spokeswoman for the newly recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, said it was too early to say whether smoking would be allowed at the casino the tribe is seeking in Middleboro.
Clyde Barrow, a casino researcher at the Center for Policy Analysis for UMass Dartmouth, speculated that the tribe would initially allow smoking if it opened an Indian casino, as opposed to a facility commercially licensed through the state.
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But he said the trend was turning against smoke-filled gambling halls.
Atlantic City recently required casinos to set aside 75 percent of their gambling space for non-smokers, and some casinos in that city have decided to go 100 percent non-smoking. The issue is also being hotly debated in Las Vegas.
Barrow said Massachusetts could use smoke-free casinos as a selling point.
“I would argue that it gives you a competitive advantage, when you consider that 77 percent of Americans don’t smoke,” Barrow said.
Massachusetts was the sixth state in the nation to pass a workplace smoking ban when former Gov. Mitt Romney signed a smoking law in 2004. Since then, smoke free-laws have spread to 25 states.
Russet Breslau, of Tobacco Free Mass, said Patrick’s refusal to exempt casinos from the smoking ban “shows a commitment to protect both workers and patrons.”
Author: David Kibbe, Source: CapeCodTimes.com
