MGM Resorts International’s Park MGM will reopen September 30 as the last of gaming giant’s casinos to resume business on the Las Vegas Strip and the first to go fully smoke- and vape-free.
“We’re making the facility completely non-smoking because of continued guest requests,” said Anton Nikodemus president and COO of the property, formerly the Monte Carlo, which features some 3,000 rooms, including the luxury NoMad hotel on the upper floors, and the 5,200-seat Park Theater.
“We believe there is a high level of pent-up demand to have a non-smoking casino, especially here in Las Vegas,” he told The Associated Press.
Though rumors had been circulating for months that Park would reopen sans smoking, it became official last week when the home page on its web site was updated to say: “Let’s Clear the Air: Park MGM is smoke-free.”
“The tradition has been that you go to Las Vegas to do things that are bad for you,” said Michael Green, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor. “Covid-19 is forcing us to rethink a lot of things. Maybe this is one. I think there might be a better reaction now, while people are asked to wear masks.”
Neighboring states including California have strict smoking bans. In 2006, Nevada voters were offered two smoking initiatives in a referendum and opted for a ban in many public places but not casinos, bars, taverns, strip clubs, smoke shops and private residences.
“It shows how the casino gaming industry’s position on smoking is evolving,” said David Schwartz, a longtime gaming researcher with UNLV.
Anti-smoking advocates called for an industry-wide ban when Nevada’s casinos reopened June 4 after a 78-day state-imposed shutdown, but regulators declined to address the issue.
Nikodemus said the closure revived an idea that had been considered back in 2018 when the Monte Carlo hotel was renovated, rebranded and reopened as the Park.
“During this time we’ve been able to really prepare the property for a smoke-free resort experience,” he said.
MGM Resorts President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle sees the change as a positive step in the difficult climb back from the damage the pandemic has wrought on the Strip’s tourist market.
“The last six months have presented extraordinary challenges,” he said. “There is much work ahead as we remain focused on the health and safety or our employees and guests, but this is an important moment for us.”
