In Connecticut, Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, and Jason Guyot, president and chief executive officer at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, recently stated that smoking bans do not affect slot revenue. The two were responding to an analysis by Spectrum Gaming Group, suggesting prohibiting smoking caused a decline in revenue.
The Spectrum report stated the casinos’ combined slot win dropped 1.5 percent from the 2022 fiscal year, from $861 million to $848 million in fiscal 2023. But in the same period, gross gaming revenue for online gaming nearly doubled. Spectrum suggested smokers may be visiting online casinos instead of brick-and-mortar casinos where smoking is banned.
The Spectrum report said, “The decisions of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun to remain smoke-free after the pandemic reopenings may have encouraged casino players who smoke to try digital gaming.”
The Atlantic City-based group Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects (CEASE) issued a statement praising the two Connecticut casinos for keeping the smoking ban post-pandemic. CEASE said it applauds the casinos “for making the decision many months ago to protect employees and guests from dangerous secondhand smoke.”
The statement continued, “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. And here in Atlantic City, we are close to making a major change, closing the casino smoking loophole, that will protect our health while also inviting potential customers into casinos because the smoking is gone.”
In its home state, CEASE has lobbied New Jersey lawmakers to legislate a smoking ban in Atlantic City casinos. This past March, group members spoke out at a public hearing regarding the harmful effects of smoking on casino employees.
CEASE includes thousands of casino dealers and frontline gaming employees in Atlantic City. The group also has chapters in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kansas and Virginia.
