New Jersey Anti-Smoking Group Hails Efforts by Connecticut Casinos

A day after Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino confirmed in separate statements and interviews that they had no intention to bring back smoking to their casino floors, the Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects (CEASE), issued a separate statement in which they lauded the commitment shown by the two operates.

CEASE Hails Another Anti-Smoking Measure

CEASE has been one of the most vociferous anti-smoking campaign groups in the United States, with the movement garnering significant momentum during the pandemic and securing backing from prominent political figures. Yet, little headway has been made to snuff out cigarettes in Atlantic City’s casinos.

CEASE nevertheless praised the decision to keep smoking at bay and away from gaming floors. This, the group argued, was further proof that smoking does not necessarily impact casino results. However, not everyone agrees. For example, Spectrum Gaming Group argued that casinos in Connecticut saw higher online gaming intake in terms of revenue – pointing out that smokers were perhaps put off by the lack of smoking in casinos.

These statements were swiftly dismissed by executives at both Mohegan and Foxwoods, with officials calling the arguments tenuous at best. CEASE’s statement further outlined its own support for the move and its significance in proving to the rest of the country that smoking is not linked to economic momentum:

We applaud these two casinos for making the decision many months ago to protect employees and guests from dangerous secondhand smoke. The old conventional wisdom about smoking in casinos no longer applies, and we’re seeing example after example of this new reality playing out across the country.

CEASE

Just Say No to Cigarettes

Casinos in New Jersey, though, tend to disagree. They have repeatedly claimed that any sign of improving results has to do with the fact that online gaming is picking up, but when asked about the soaring revenues, the operators have said that they split much of their profits with third-party vendors – such as the suppliers of online casino games for one.

 This means that Atlantic City has not really recovered and barring smoking on casino floors could potentially cost “thousands of jobs.” The argument has been dismissed by CEASE, which has been looking into best practices from all around the county, including Pennsylvania, arguing that turning down smoking had not led to any measurable decline in financial results.