Summary:
- State House Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel held the hearing.
- Casino dealers and gaming/health experts were on hand.
- Casino operators did not testify during the hearing.
After banning smoking in most public areas over a decade ago, some lawmakers feel it is now time to close all loopholes to protect the public, especially casino employees and players which some casino such as Rivers Casino Philadelphia has done.
State House Health Committee Chairman Dan Frankel held a hearing yesterday to discuss the pitfalls of allowing smoking in workplaces like casinos. Employee health is important, and card game dealers and servers are paying the price for a smoking loophole in Pennsylvania which will be closed with HB 1657.
Details of the Hearing
During the discussion on smoking in casinos, Frankel cited a study released by the National Institute for Health after the state enacted its Clean Indoor Air Act in 2008. The study said that six of 10,000 casino employees will die from heart and lung disease annually due to smoke inhalation. This is a higher rate than mining accidents.
Frankel stated that Pennsylvania employees should not have to sacrifice their health for a paycheck. However, the data shows that is exactly what they are doing. Employees testified during the hearing about how they spend 40 hours a week trying to make a living and are paid well but have to deal with it on a regular basis, in their face.
HVAC experts were on hand to show that no air filtration system can reduce the health effects of indoor smoking at acceptable levels. Many casinos have such systems in place in the hopes that it will remove smoke from the air and create a healthier environment.
Casinos Will Fight a Ban
Gaming industry experts feel that a smoking ban in Pennsylvania would temporarily decline revenues, but operators feel the effect will be far more negative. For years, casinos in other states like New Jersey have fought to keep smoking an option indoors. Smoking has long been a permitted activity and even though there have been cutbacks, there are still areas to smoke inside casinos across the US.
Casinos argue they will see a huge revenue cut if smoking is fully removed. This would then lead to job cuts and less earnings for the state. Casinos have enough funds to push for legislation to remain the same, so it will take a major effort on the opponents of smoking’s part to see any type of legal change come to pass in the state.
Currently, only 22 US states have smoking bans that cover all public areas, including casinos. It will be interesting to see if this most recent effort in Pennsylvania will bare fruit or if the same arguments will continue with no change to the casino smoking environment in Keystone State venues.
About the Author
