At midnight on April 22, smoking became a thing of the past at New Orleans’ 500-plus bars and gambling venues, including Harrah’s New Orleans downtown. Harrah’s efforts to exempt itself—or at least part of the gaming floor–from the ban did not evoke positive reactions. City Councilwoman Susan Guidry said, “That battle is not over.” She stated Harrah’s lobbyists are trying to undermine the ban among lawmakers while the casino continues to push for certain exceptions. Guidry added, “It’s the tobacco industry, really, with the casino’s face on it. They’re up in Baton Rouge, whispering in the ears of all the legislators and they’re saying that what the City Council did was lose the state money. We have seen this over and over and over for many years.”
City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, sponsor of the smoking-ban ordinance, said if Harrah’s is not required to fully comply with the new regulations, “we’ve defeated the overall purpose of protecting the quality of the work environment.” She thanked Harrah’s and New Orleans’ bars for going smoke-free. “At midnight last night, Harrah’s did that: Removed ash trays, passed out lollipops, celebrated themselves as being the best smoke-free casino in Louisiana. So we need to give Harrah’s a round of applause.”
Harrah’s officials have said the smoking ban could cost the casino one-fifth of its annual revenue, and that gambling venues in the city could lose a total of more than $100 million annually. Harrah’s and several local bars and casinos filed a suit to try to stop the smoking ban; the judge rejected that request but scheduled a hearing for later in May.
Under the new law, smokers who light up inside Harrah’s or other venues where smoking is prohibited will be fined up to $50 or have to do community service. Business owners or employers will be fined $100 or more and could lose their license for more than one violation a year.
