Two of the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise’s four Arizona casinos—Northern Edge Casino in Upper Fruitland and Fire Rock Casino near Gallup—reopened March 19 with a strict non-smoking policy, due to Covid-19. As a result, public health officials hope the no-smoking policy will become permanent and the NNGE’s other two casinos also will prohibit smoking when they reopen. In fact, many hope it will lead to a ban on smoking in public places throughout the reservation.
Patricia Nez Henderson, vice president of the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, and an expert in the field of commercial tobacco control and prevention, said, “We’re really excited that the Navajo Gaming Enterprises have decided to reopen commercial tobacco smoke-free. We’ve been at this since 2008 and there have been so many people that supported this effort throughout the years, from traditional healers to elected leaders. Their heart is in the right place when it comes to health.”
NNGE Chief Executive Officer Brian Parrish stated, “When we knew it was time to reopen we were not going to allow folks to smoke or use smokeless tobacco inside the building. We have designated smoking areas outside that are covered and sheltered, but there’s no smoking allowed inside the buildings.”
Henderson noted the new smoke-free policy will protect casino employees from secondhand cigarette smoke, which she said is even more toxic than exhaled smoke, since it contains about 70 cancer-causing chemical additives. “Any type of exposure to secondhand smoke is certainly a trigger. With Navajo Nation, we’ve had so many Covid-19 cases. We just don’t know what effect that will have on the body long-term, especially the lungs,” Henderson said.
Henderson said she encourages the Navajo people to advocate for smoking bans in the casinos and other public places. “Go to your council delegates, the president and the gaming enterprise and let them know that you’re thankful that they’ve made this decision, but that you want a permanent policy in place to protect not just yourself and your family but future generations,” she said.
More than 200 tribal casinos nationwide have reopened smoke-free after being shuttered due to the pandemic, including Foxwoods Casino Resort in Connecticut, operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, one of the largest casinos in the U.S. Pequot Chairman Rodney Butler said Foxwoods has been effective in influencing other tribes to ban smoking in their casinos.
Butler stated the smoking ban was “just the right thing to do. Every decision we’re making was from a health sense and keeping people safe. The non-smoking policy was instrumental in gaining the confidence of the tribe, the tribal members, our employees and our patrons to come back.”
Parrish said if Covid-19 cases continue to decrease, the NNGE can allow its casinos to operate above the current level of 25 percent occupancy. “Hopefully we can go to 50 percent, offer food and beverage and then we’ll open Flowing Water and Twin Arrows and bring all of our staff back. The nice thing is the energy levels in the properties are really high. Our team is so glad to be back and working and our patrons are excited to come in,” Parrish said.
Henderson added she hopes the casinos will be successful and remain smoke-free. “If this decision is a permanent one, then we’ll be very happy,” she said.
