Smoke at the Casinos = Unhealthy

[blackchipjim]

coffin nails

Moring gents, I got back from the new casino yesterday and it was injoyable. I played about four hours and with a decent profit. The one thing that I noticed was the lack of smoky air. I geuss they must of installed better ventilation than the last one. I'm still reading the replies from alot of you and still see a common theme from them all. The smokers you are encountering seem uncaring with little regard for their fellow non smoking players. When I was playing the other day we sat at a crowded table and I stood up and smoked when the dealer was in the shuffle. It amazed me that another fellow followed my lead and stood behind the others away from the table and smoked with me. I just think that if smokers were more considerate of the non puffers you wouldn't have as much to complain about. As far as punching smokers is in the same line as shooting drunk drivers. blkchpjim!

 

[21forme]

Smokers just seem to be less considerate, overall. Maybe it's their defense mechanism to being legislated into fewer and fewer places. Most seem to not give a second thought to dropping a butt out a car window onto the street or on someone's lawn. How many non-smokers litter to such an extent?

 

[mdlbj]

This is a touchy subject indeed. I smoke; I would chew if it was acceptable at the tables.. Yet, Its part of the scene I would think. Being in a casino is not Sunday service. It is a place of indulgence for many. One can request that the table can be a non smoking table. I have seen many in Vegas.

 

[dacium]

I like Australia because its illegal to smoke in pubs clubs and casinos now. You have to go outside to designated areas. The casinos seems to make up for it by bringing around LOTS of free drinks, especially caffine filled ones.

 

[Cardcounter]

Just ask...

A lot of players are unaware of what they can get if they just ask. If you are sitting down at a table where nobody is smoking and you want to keep it that way ask the dealer if you can make it a non-smoking table he or she will call over the pit-boss and a lot of times they will put up a non-smoking sign at your table and it will be non-smoking for the time that you play there. As a dealer I personal wish that more people would request a non-smoking table because it is a better an enviroment to work in. The request will mostly likely be granted if you come to an empty table where they need to pick up the action. Casinos know that on a blackjack table with 1 or 2 people entices other people to start playing as well as oppossed to a completely empty table.
Also in the same casino you might find a table where there is nobody smoking move their if people at your table are smoking and it bothers you. It bothers me and I deal the game for a living.

 

[Renzey]

I walked into an isolated pit, looked around for an empty or non-smoking table and there were none. Spotted a table with only one player who wasn't smoking and plopped down there. I asked this player, "Excuse me Sir, do you smoke?" He replied that he didn't, so I asked the dealer if the floorman would give us a non-smoking sign.
The player interrupted, "I already asked for one and was refused". So I said, "Well now there are two of us and we're the only ones here, so let me try."
The floorman came over and refused, explaining that there were only three tables open in the pit, and management requires a minimum of four open tables before one of them could be non-smoking. Then he reassured us that there was plenty of room for smokers at the other two tables which each contained one or two smokers at the time.
We went with that, and 10 minutes later a man sat down on my right with a pack of cigarettes and asked me to pass him an ashtray. I said we were hoping to keep this a non-smoking table and pointed out the other two tables where players were already smoking.
He said, "You don't like smoke? No problem, I won't smoke" -- and put his cigarettes away. We both thanked him profuesly for his gracious consideration and the game went on.
A few hands later, he split a pair of 9's, caught a third 9, re-split, doubled down once or twice and lost all four or five bets. Immediately, out came the cigarettes and a puff of smoke. I courteously reminded him of his promise and he said that after such a tough hand he needed a smoke. I abruptly colored up, then left. So much for graciousness.

 

[mdw]

On the drive in to work this am, I heard on the radio that the Atlantic City Casinos were going to ban smoking. Originally the casinos were exempted from the smoking ban in NJ, because the casinos lobbied that there would be a loss of business, which translated into a loss of income for the state. I have never made the trip to Atlantic City, but I would if in fact the casinos became smoke free. Time will tell. I should add, I may not have heard the report accurately since I wasn't really paying attention until I heard the word casino. My ears perked up like when I say the word "outside" to my dog. Wonder what Pavlov would say?

 

[shadroch]

The City Council of AC voted to ban smoking in the casinos,but there seems to be question of legality.NJ takes in a lot of revenue from these casinos and doesn't want local authorities to screw them up.With multiple slot parlors opening in Philly and Pennylvania,a huge slot parlor opening just outside NYC and a full casino due to open in the Catskills in the near future,they are very worried about protecting the Golden Goose.

 

[SystemsTrader]

On the drive in to work this am, I heard on the radio that the Atlantic City Casinos were going to ban smoking. Originally the casinos were exempted from the smoking ban in NJ, because the casinos lobbied that there would be a loss of business, which translated into a loss of income for the state. I have never made the trip to Atlantic City, but I would if in fact the casinos became smoke free. Time will tell. I should add, I may not have heard the report accurately since I wasn't really paying attention until I heard the word casino. My ears perked up like when I say the word "outside" to my dog. Wonder what Pavlov would say?

When I was younger I remember when the smoking bans came to movie theaters. The theaters were screaming that it was sure to put them out of business and all their revenues would dry up as smokers would all stay home and watch movies on their VCRs. Well guess what, the theaters are still around and in fact movie revenues are up and they keep building these bigger and better movie plexes.

About 5 years ago my municipality banned smoking in bars and all the bar owners screamed how they would all lose revenues and be put out of business. Well guess what those same bars I went to before the smoking ban are all still around and actually seem more busy than before. I for one now spend more time at the bar then before because without the smoke I stick around longer and drink more beer.

The same thing will happen with the casinos. The problem is the casinos look at whose sitting at their tables and all they see are smokers so they think all their customers like to smoke. Only about 20% of the population smokes so what is happening at the casinos is that those 20% of smokers are driving away all the non-smokers, so when the smoking ban comes into place the smokers will get angry and stay away from the casinos for a while and the revenues will drop. Then the non-smokers will slowing start coming to the casinos more often and spending more then the smokers after a while will also start to come back as well. Now the casinos will start seeing even bigger profits with more players showing up. Then their employees will start to be healthier and calling in sick a lot less and it will cost less in health benefits. The casinos don't realize it yet but banning smoking is a total win situation for them.

 

[shadroch]

You're joking,right?
The number of movie houses has dropped tremendously in the last twenty years. As has the number of bars.Ask any one who was an adult in your neighborhood in the 70s if there were more or fewer bars back then.
Are movie revenues up from twenty years ago? Yes,because of inflation.Are ticket sales up? No,they are declining. Is it because of the smoking ban? I highly doubt it.
Whats next? Will the relatively light casualties in Iraq be somehow tied to the decline of smokers in the Armed Forces?

 

[QFIT]

Interesting. I live on First Ave. Second Ave in my neighborhood is the area of Irish bars in the city. The number of bars has increased since the ban. On First Ave one bar has closed since the smoking ban. That was a cigar bar and was one of 3 or 4 that had been exempted from the smoking ban. Smoking was still allowed; but it closed due to lack of customers.

I don't know what it means - but it seemingly flies in the face of logic.

 

[TENNBEAR]

As mentioned in my earlier post I have been smoke free for two years after having been a smoker for 30 years, so I can argue both sides of the smoking argument. Most smokers are considerate, and would never light-up when no one else is smoking. They are well aware that non-smokers find the stinch of cigarette smoke unbareable. Unfortunatly there are those who are so rude and inconsiderate, we often wonder who they think they are. Clearly as a non-smoker I am not going to sit down at a table full of smokers and start complaining about the smoke, however I will ask the person to please step away or not smoke when no one else is smoking. I never had a problem with stepping away or putting out when I Smoked. However, on a crowded weekend I will leave the casino early to get away from the smoke filled air, and return in early morning after the crowds are gone, and the better playing conditions exist.

 

[SystemsTrader]

You're joking,right?
The number of movie houses has dropped tremendously in the last twenty years. As has the number of bars.Ask any one who was an adult in your neighborhood in the 70s if there were more or fewer bars back then.
Are movie revenues up from twenty years ago? Yes,because of inflation.Are ticket sales up? No,they are declining. Is it because of the smoking ban? I highly doubt it.
Whats next? Will the relatively light casualties in Iraq be somehow tied to the decline of smokers in the Armed Forces?

I looked up the number of movie screens in my neighbourhood both today and in 1979. Back in 79 there were 4 screens and today there are 38 screens. The population has also grown by 150% in that time while the amount of screens has grown by 850%. As for bars I haven't been able to find that information but I will ask around.

I think you missed the point I was trying to make! The smoking bans will not put these business' out of business like the owners think it will. A person like myself will now spend more time in a casino with the ban. The minority of smokers chase away the majority of non smokers because their habit annoys us!

 

[shadroch]

The number of screens per house has increased tremedously.Thats because a single film will no longer fill a house. The theater had to subdivide to attract enough people to stay in business.But the woes of the movie industry have nothing to do with smoking/not smoking.
Check out the figures for Delaware Downs,formerly the most successful racino in the country.Their attendence and slot figures are reportedly down substantial amounts since smoking was banned.

 

[SystemsTrader]

The number of screens per house has increased tremedously.Thats because a single film will no longer fill a house. The theater had to subdivide to attract enough people to stay in business.But the woes of the movie industry have nothing to do with smoking/not smoking.
Check out the figures for Delaware Downs,formerly the most successful racino in the country.Their attendence and slot figures are reportedly down substantial amounts since smoking was banned.

The movie numbers are in as of Dec.27. 2006 and 06 turned out to be the fourth largest year ever for movie attendance up over 3% from 05. Over 1.44 billion viewings this year compared to 1.4 billion last year. As for Delaware Downs in two years from now they will probably set new attendance records. The reason I say this is because in some of the casinos which have had smoking bans I noticed a drop in attendance after the bans were put in place but now over six months later the casinos seem busier than ever. That's just my observation from attending both before and after the bans.

 

[shadroch]

The movie numbers are in as of Dec.27. 2006 and 06 turned out to be the fourth largest year ever for movie attendance up over 3% from 05. Over 1.44 billion viewings this year compared to 1.4 billion last year. As for Delaware Downs in two years from now they will probably set new attendance records. The reason I say this is because in some of the casinos which have had smoking bans I noticed a drop in attendance after the bans were put in place but now over six months later the casinos seem busier than ever. That's just my observation from attending both before and after the bans.

Which casinos are you referring to?

 

[Automatic Monkey]

Smokers will get over it. A night at the casino is a planned activity, with money burning holes in people's pockets. They'll get used to having to go outside to smoke, and casinos will start building outside or rooftop smoking areas so they don't have to go far.

It will reduce casino revenue, because people will get a break from the hypnotic slot play. Yeah, I'm going to weep for the casinos and their loss of slot addicts. Maybe they'll have to do something unthinkable like providing better games.

 

[SystemsTrader]

Which casinos are you referring to?

Fallsview, Niagara

 

[shadroch]

You do realize that as soon as revenue begins to fall,the beancounters will start to adjust the games to ring out more profit.Most likely result will be less table games,as a bank of slots generates more profits.

 

[RJT]

UK smoking......

I don't know how many of you realise this already, but the UK recently (2006) banned smoking in all public places. Now i personally thought this was a bad move for for just about any recreational industry. You could argue that i was possibly bias as i had only given up smoking recently, but as i only ever smoke tobacco with some of the finer but less legal herbal mixers p ) i could never smoke in public anyway.
What i can say is that as far as i am aware (through observation alone) this ban has made very little difference to attendence figures for casinos, bars, restaraunts ect ect. Yes i now see people regularly leaving a table to go have a ciggy, but i don't think it's discouraging people from visiting, and if it is, an equal number of people now will come who wouldn't have before.
We are even now seeing many casinos introducing 'Sky-Lounges' - a basic sheltered open area on the upper floors where people can go to smoke instead of having to face the bad weather (which we have in abundance) to sate their addicition.

RJT.

P.S. I do have to agree with Automatic Monkey's earliers statement, in that i don't think 2nd hand smoke is as bad for us as some current reports would have us believe. I do think it is harmful to some extent, but as with all substances legal or otherwise i think scare tactics are used far too often.