Casino workers have been on protest since quite some time to raise their concerns about passive smoking they are exposed to.
Many of the casinos have imposed smoking ban after protests and the government authorities are planning to bring more and more gambling points under ‘no-smoking’ zones.
Though the move may prove to be beneficial to the visitors’ health, it is surely affecting the casino business in an adverse manner.
Reason people are being under stress when they are inside the casino and they do tend to smoke to beat the worry and sometimes, just to look cool.
So, because of the urge to smoke, the visitors are forced to cut short their visit in order to puff. Casinos reportedly have found business going down due to putting ‘no smoking’ on display.
So, what is to be done to create a win-win situation?
Having smoker-friendly courtyards are proving to be a feasible solution for casinos who want smoking population also to visit them.
This move is welcome by one and all, and looking at the positive response to it, Orleans Casino has planned to open a few more smoker-friendly zones to combat the situation and also to find a feasible solution.
It is also reported that casinos are asked to put a cap on the number of employees stuffed in single premise.
More people inhabiting the single premise suffocate it further, making the condition worse for the non-smokers.
The call to put a smoking ban on casinos arose after the incidences of employees falling ill due to living in smoke-filled conditions for 10-12 hours a day.
The courts suggest that the well-being of the employees and that of non-smoking visitors should be the first priority.
If it leads to a fall of revenue, it should not be considered a bad sign. Downfall of revenues from $270 million to $260 million is certainly not a thing to be concerned about, as it is not hitting the bottom line badly.
Thus, the various casinos protesting the orders were made to present the sales figures for the months they put the smoking ban in order to contemplate the situation further.
Multiple factors at play- other then smoking ban
The Court further suggests that smoking bans cannot be held solely responsible for the decrease in revenues.
Many other factors such as more load at work place, or emergence of a new casino or some other competitor should also be taken into account to get the clearer picture.
Smoking ban is certainly a lame excuse given the situation that those casinos that were ‘No Smoking’ zones always never showed any loss of revenues and continue to work unaffected.
Another reason that made smoking ban not the sole culprit of the loss of revenue of Casinos in another city Louisiana was the fact that there was a loss in revenues of those casinos too,
that were not supposed to implement the smoking ban. So, what caused their revenues to fall? May be the reluctance of those people allergic to smoke contributed significantly to the fading business.
According to the spokesperson of a famous casino in Louisiana, the loss of revenues was estimated to be about $70 million after putting the smoking ban.
The health department pledged to make the air cleaner for the residents insist that the casinos should make the fitness of the employees and the non-smoking visitors a priority,
and believe that blaming the smoking ban for losing on revenues is an unsubstantiated fact. It still needs more probe and better presentation of facts.
Courtyard gaming – another option for smokers
In order to retain the visitors, some of the casinos have now opened courtyards in South Peters St. and other entrance points.
The move is in accordance with the fact that smoke may not hamper the health that much in open spaces as it does in closed environments like that of a typical casino building interiors of Energy Casino.
Thus, to make the offer look more enticing and worth buying, the smoking visitors are given the sales pitch comprising of fun of gaming in open and having a dual pleasure of nature and betting in a single visit.
This surely is a nice move and is expected to help casinos retain its patronage.
It is time that both the regulatory authorities and the casino owners should sit down and find the real problems responsible for the loss of revenue.
Though some of the casino owners straightaway blame the ban without doing the homework, the more crucial point worth considering is what to choose – health or revenue?
