An ordinance to ban smoking at the St. Jo Frontier Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri received a 4-4 vote from the city council and therefore did not pass. However, the bill’s sponsor, councilmember PJ Kovac, said he plans to petition to keep the issue moving forward. Smoking already is banned indoors at other St. Joseph businesses.
Kovac said he was motivated to sponsor the bill after recently visiting the casino. He said, “It made me upset to see people at the card tables pulling their masks down and blowing smoke right into the dealer’s face.”
St. Jo Frontier Casino General Manager Mike Tamburelli said the facility had implemented guidelines for smokers, requiring them to go outdoors to smoke. But he said management decided abandon the regulation when they realized customers were leaving and going to another casino in the area where they could smoke indoors.
Tamburelli said the smoking ban should not be approved since the casino staff has been trained to keep customers safe. He said, “We have a certain area on our floor. It’s all blocked off. People cannot play slot machines and the customers are six feet apart.”
Kovac’s smoking-ban proposal is backed by Smoke Free Missouri, which works with partners statewide to support individuals and communities working on smoking cessation and other tobacco-control policy efforts.
