Vegas Casinos to Potentially Ban Smoking

[Ben]

This should be interesting. From what I know, Vegas casinos (and casinos in general) have always seemed to be able to skirt smoking bans since I guess like 98% of their clientele are chain smokers. Maybe that demographic is changing,  but I tend to doubt it. I can certainly see the worker health viewpoint, though I guess you have to weigh that with casinos being a private business.

I will say that though I don't really like gambling, the bigger factor that has kept me from casinos is the smoke. Those state of the art ventilation systems are for crap. The last time I was in a Vegas casino was when I turned 21. That was it. I have been in a Reno casino, because when I was still retirement home searching, Reno was always a good stopping point for the night and the Boomtown casino was a Best Western (for the points) across the street from Cabela's. It was supposed to be a no-smoking hotel with smoking only allowed in the casino. Yeah, right. I gave it a try three times, because reviews said that some parts of the building were better than others, but all three times I was up half the night breathing smoky, stinky air.

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/las-vegas-strip-casino-workers-seek-to-ban-smoking

[MechAg94]

I visited a couple earlier this year.  Harrah's smelled more smoky if I remember, but it wasn't very bad.  I am not particularly sensitive to second hand smoke as long as it isn't drifting right into my face so maybe I am not the best judge. 

Might be better not to make every single casino do the same thing.

[230RN]

One of my apartment neighbors smokes and a little of the smell infiltrates into my place.  Kind of annoying, but since I quit back in 2017 it's bearable. 

I don't think I could handle a full-on smoking permitted place any more.

I'm sympathetic to the casino workers, but I'm sure there's a high percentage of gamblers who smoke a lot and they knew this when they took the job. 

As Leonard's mother told him, "Suck it up."

"Is that all you've got to say, Mother?"

"I'm sorry.  Suck it up, buttercup."

I'm sure the casinos do the best they can in aeration and filtration, but they'll never be able to reduce exposure to zero unless smoking is totally banned and I'm also sure the complainants know this. There are lots of jobs that have negative aspects.

[Bogie]

Ever been in a place, and see that flames from lighters burn odd colors?

[Northwoods]

He said, son I’ve made a life out of reading peoples faces, knowing what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.  So if you don’t mind me saying, I can see you’re out of aces.  For a taste of your whisky, I’ll give you some advice.

So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.  Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.  And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression, he said “If you’re gonna play the game boy, you gotta learn to play it right.”

[BobR]

After the casinos were shut down for the pandemic upon opening the used tobacco smell was mostly gone. Now they are back to smelling like the ash tray out of my father's 1958 Rambler station wagon after a cross country trip and him smoking cigars the whole way. 

As much as people would like to see smoking banned in the LV casinos I don't think it any where on the horizon.

bob

[Ben]

I visited a couple earlier this year.  Harrah's smelled more smoky if I remember, but it wasn't very bad.  I am not particularly sensitive to second hand smoke as long as it isn't drifting right into my face so maybe I am not the best judge. 

Despite having an occasional cigar (outside), I've always been super sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke. I can't take it indoors, and outdoors, my nose picks it up a mile away. I can be sitting at a traffic light in "windows down" weather and smell a smoker smoking from a car two or three in front of me at the light.

I got a reprieve for a while when I had the covid loss of smell, but smelling stupid cigarette smoke came back to me before bacon did. While many other smells are still repressed, my sensitivity to cigarette smoke is back to pre-covid status.

[WLJ]

When entering a restaurant I sometimes still to this day have to stop myself from saying non-smoking when asked how many despite restaurant  indoor smoking being banned for maybe ~20 years here.

Sometimes I will say it when the greeter is really young just to see the puzzled look on their face since they've never known a time when it was an issue.

[Northwoods]

When entering a restaurant I sometimes still to this day have to stop myself from saying non-smoking when asked how many despite restaurant  indoor smoking being banned for maybe ~20 years here.

Sometimes I will say it when the greeter is really young just to see the puzzled look on their face since they've never known a time when it was an issue.

When I flew to New Zealand for my year as an exchange student I got stuck in the smoking section of the plane.  Domestic flights had been entirely non-smoking for a while by then but not international.  By the time I came home a year later the international flights (at least to/from the USA) had gone to all non-smoking too.

[K Frame]

Here's a fun fact on smoking in the air...

The Hindenburg had a smoking lounge.

A hydrogen-filled airship had a smoking lounge.

[Brad Johnson]

I've never been to Vegas but SWMBO has. One thing she's mentioned several times is how unenjoyable the casinos were due to cigarette stink, the unending cacophony of bells and whistles, and crowds of obnoxious drunkards.

During our June trip to Colorado we visited a casino in Blackhawk. Colorado banned smoking in Casinos so we figured we'd give it a try. Still loud and full of obnoxious drunks, but at least it didn't reek of cigarette smoke.

Brad

[Ben]

I've never been to Vegas but SWMBO has. One thing she's mentioned several times is how unenjoyable the casinos were due to cigarette stink, the unending cacophony of bells and whistles, and crowds of obnoxious drunkards.

Brad

Yeah, some of those "casino regulars" I saw at the Boomtown were an interesting bunch. "People of casinos" would likely be funnier than "People of Walmart".

[WLJ]

I've never been to Vegas but SWMBO has. One thing she's mentioned several times is how unenjoyable the casinos were due to cigarette stink, the unending cacophony of bells and whistles, and crowds of obnoxious drunkards.

One of the reasons I've never gone, besides not liking gambling, that would be like being in hell to me.

[Blakenzy]

Exposure to heavy tobacco smoke sucks.

[MechAg94]

Sounds like we are heading toward ALL casinos banning smoking rather than just some or most.  They smell like smoke because many customers smoke.  It would be interesting if some would ban it and see what difference it makes. 

[French G.]

Where I go they don’t have smoking at table games for the dealers health. Makes poker a ton more fun.

[K Frame]

I wonder if the casinos on the Indian reservations will ban smoking. As far as I know, the Feds don't have much, if any, say over casinos on Indian nation land.

[Northwoods]

I wonder if the casinos on the Indian reservations will ban smoking. As far as I know, the Feds don't have much, if any, say over casinos on Indian nation land.

Like any business they will follow whichever way makes them more money.  If banning smoking gets more $$ from non-smokers coming in to gamble than the smokers that find another outlet for their gambling $$ they’ll ban smoking in a heartbeat. 

It’ll probably go like with bars though.  The screaming about it putting them out of business got replaced with open enthusiasm to ban smoking even without legal compulsion because they saw a net increase in business.

[K Frame]

"Like any business they will follow whichever way makes them more money."

You really think that? Honest Injun?

 

[dogmush]

The last time I was in Vegas (almost exactly a year ago) the smell of the homeless' cheap weed being smoked on the streets was several times more annoying than tobaccos smoke as I walked through the casino to my hotel room. YMMV