STATESIDE STATESIDE


Sharon Harris looks at the age-old issue of smoking in casinos, and discovers things might actually be changing


ugust is traditionally a hotter, slower-paced month across America. The heat can be stifling and oppressive and these days are called the “dog days of summer?” Why? What dog wants to be out in temperatures that often top 90


I


t was unimaginable that on the very week our global gaming industry converged on Las Vegas for G2E, the unthinkable could happen. As many had already arrived, or were arriving, a madman shattered the Las Vegas allure on October 1.


A Stateside


degrees, or 100 out West? Anyone who lives in Las Vegas or other desert regions, like


my niece, completely understands. My neighbor Lisa lived and worked at the Venetian in Las Vegas for years. She explained you must do everything before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. in the summer. I wonder if that includes visiting a casino since they are


Wynn called Las Vegas a “target rich” environment in November 2015 and recruited top law enforcement and military


consultants to formulate a security plan


While 22,000 were enjoying an outdoor concert


at the chic Mandalay Bay, shots peppered the crowd from the 32nd floor. Within minutes, dozens lay dead and hundreds were wounded, some with lifetime injuries.


24-hour operations. Some smart executive somewhere has probably commissioned a study to determine players’ time habits and any correlation to the weather. If so, I’d like to see that. Over these 28 years I have written for Casino


With tens of thousands of G2E attendees in town, a


International, originally EUROSLOT, I often tried to identify the major drivers of consumer traffic to casinos in any given year. The issues were so different as time went by. There are millions of personal reasons as to what attracts or turns off customers. Whatever is drawing customers to or from a casino, I believe smoking is a significant issue on the list. Already controversial for decades, smoking in casino hotels and/or gaming floors really became a contentious topic in the early 2000s. Laws against smoking, or implementing strict smoking


Ironically, my


regulations, first really appeared in the 1980s. Back then, when I worked in the amusement/vending industries, I testified before multiple communities and the Pennsylvania Legislature. My job was to confirm our commitment to responsible tobacco sales. I saw firsthand how many lawmakers grandstand for their


15 minutes of fame. Judging their not-so-subtle contempt for us, you would have thought we were selling heroin. A city councilwoman once looked at the television news cameras and then at me. She questioned “how I sleep at night knowing what we do” and its harm to children. My answer? I took a deep breath, looked her straight in the eye and responded that I slept just fine. We were a legal


8 AUGUST 2022


Casino International article in September‘s G2E issue specifically focused on casino crimes. Ex-FBI agent Tom Raftery, one quoted source, warned that many within the gaming industry have not adequately addressed possible onsite terrorism.


large group probably stayed at the Mandalay Bay. How does one react or prepare for this type of nightmare?


Over time, we have learned this mass shooter, who


killed himself rather than be caught, methodically planned every detail of the carnage. A rich, heavy gambler, he did not fit any “standard“ profile.


Stateside


Sharon Harris asks what can be learned from recent events in Las Vegas


New York crisis management public relati The lawsuits against them are just beginn determine possible negligence by security


It is long overdue for casinos to incorp


industry acting responsibly with machines mostly located in age-restricted bars. I urged her to concentrate on the teenage convenience store clerk selling cigarettes to his underage girlfriend. When I was a young, single woman going to nightclubs,


terrorism preparedness into employee tra killer brought guns into his hotel suite an cameras that monitored his room and the He then used heavy-duty hammers to sma windows and take aim. Not that guests’ lu drawers be searched, but dozens of weapo a lot of space.


Many question the relative ease in getti


smoke was everywhere. Everyone had the same smell on their clothing, so we never knew better. Now the public does and expects more. Since then, most


states have prohibited smoking in public buildings and spaces. Smokers must comply with local ordinances. We have all seen them…groups huddled outside buildings as they light up or crowded into small glass-enclosed rooms. Casinos could carve out a different category for themselves by creating smoking areas within the building or casino floor area. In today’s market, the proverbial “handwriting is on the wall” for that too because the anti-smoking movement is gaining strength nationwide. When Delaware enacted its Delaware Clean Indoor Air


arsenal to his suite. Conditions will certain since the bar altering our very behavior ke shifting. So far, gaming has pretty much es these events, which is amazing considerin hour businesses have dozens of open door points that never close.


Law in November 2002, the fear of declining revenues and layoffs at the fairly new racinos was real. Between 2005 and 2008, I attended racino conferences in Dover, the state capital. Delaware is so small it almost impossible to hide what is happening. While some tried to “fudge” the data, the facts emerged that nonsmoking policies do not adversely impact revenues on the gaming floor, restaurants, lounges or almost anywhere else in a casino hotel property. That may be especially true if the state also prohibits it.


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