Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Michigan Gaming Board banned smoking in the three Detroit casinos until further notice, since smokers would have to remove their masks to smoke. The casinos reopened on August 5, 2020 but MGM Grand Detroit and Hollywood Casino at Greektown only recently changed their smoking policies in the days leading up to Christmas.
Effective January 4, officials at MGM Grand Detroit announced smoking will not be allowed on the casino floor, but it will be permitted in designated areas.
According to a statement, “’Smoking Slots East and Smoking Slots West’ are the only permitted smoking areas in the casino. Doors have been added to minimize the impact across the casino floor. All other indoor spaces will continue to be non-smoking, and our outdoor smoking patio will remain in place.”
The change was based on guest surveys indicating visitors wanted smoking to be allowed inside MGM Grand Detroit.
Hollywood Casino at Greektown now allows smoking only on the second floor. MotorCity Casino continues to ban smoking at any location inside the building.
Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, which works with local and state public health organizations in Michigan, decried the effort to bring back indoor smoking:
“Detroit casino workers are receiving the equivalent of coal in their stockings this week,” she said. “After more than two years of a safe workplace, these workers will now have to choose between their health and a paycheck. This is unacceptable. Efforts to try to separate smoking and non-smoking sections, such as adding doors, have repeatedly proven ineffective at protecting employees and guests from dangerous secondhand smoke.
“Even though only 12 percent of people in the United States smoke, some casinos continue to prioritize perceived profits from this dwindling group over the health of their workers. Times have changed. The majority of casino customers prefer a smokefree environment, and research shows that casinos without indoor smoking generate more revenue than their smoke-filled competitors. Casino companies with properties in Detroit also run smokefree casinos in cities across the country. Detroit workers deserve the same safe atmosphere as their counterparts elsewhere. We urge MGM Detroit and Greektown to reverse this decision and encourage MotorCity to maintain its smokefree indoor air policy.”
