1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Park MGM / Nomad to Reopen as 1st Smoke Free Casino on Strip

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by ams722, Sep 14, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. RunningRam

    RunningRam Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2015
    Messages:
    242
    Location:
    Virginia
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    35
    I am thrilled that they are doing this. We usually stay at Bellagio, Aria, or Mirage but I booked my 4 comp nights for my Super Bowl trip at Nomad just because of the rumor that it was happening. Neither the wife or I are smokers. While I put up with smoke fine, she hates being around it so this will definitely improve her experience. I've had some heart issues in the past so with the potential that maskless smokers are spreading the virus, this makes me much more comfortable coming back to Vegas.
     
    Annual Memorial Day trip with the wife at my home away from home!
  2. LVMS

    LVMS Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Messages:
    126
    Location:
    California
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    I too am quite interested in how this works out. Having visited LV back in 1998 during the smoking ban and witnessing what that did to casino traffic it will interesting to see what 22 years later and a population of fewer smokers does this time.

    Like many if not all of us we all have been with someone who detests smoke and to be trapped in a Casino's non-smoking area with their tight machines because of that was never as much fun as being in the larger part of the casino.
     
  3. Sprocket

    Sprocket Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2016
    Messages:
    402
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    I was too young in 1998 to gamble in Vegas, what was the smoking ban?
     
  4. LVMS

    LVMS Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2020
    Messages:
    126
    Location:
    California
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    I'm not a smoker and one that doesn't mind 2nd hand smoke too much so I don't recall the specifics but if I recall correctly the smoking ban in casinos was implemented to protect the casino workers as the 2nd hand smoke was considered a workplace hazard.

    I don't recall how long the ban was in place, I'm thinking it was way under 1 year, but the casinos quickly received some sort of exemption after they saw the effect it had on their bottom line. Most likely bars were tied into the same rules and exemption as casinos, restaurants were not exempt.

    I wish I could recall more but it the ban didn't mean much to me.
     
  5. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2008
    Messages:
    17,827
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    130
    I don’t ever recall a smoking ban in Vegas casinos and in ‘98, I would have been there 2 or 3 times
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 1999
    Messages:
    44,195
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    I don't remember this at all. I started going to Vegas in 1995. I don't think I was a smoker in those years though, so maybe I missed it.

    I know there was a vote sometime in the late 90's or 00's where they voted to remove smoking from restaurants, bars that serve food, schools, movie theaters, etc. But specifically not in casinos, especially in places where minors did not congregate. They also allowed it in brothels and strip clubs.

    Okay did some googling, looks like that passed in 2006, so I was a little off. :)

    This opinion piece, from May 2020, talks a little about it, as well as providing some statistics about how many people smoke in the country, and in the casinos.

    https://www.cdcgamingreports.com/commentaries/opinion-nevada-casinos-cannot-voluntarily-go-smoke-free-especially-now/


    I also recall the Gaming Control Board meeting where they were asked if they could ban smoking as part of their guidelines for COVID, as patrons are allowed to take off their masks to smoke. They said that because of that legislation, they can't just ban smoking. It has to be resolved in the legislature as the smoking in casinos is specifically allowed in that law.
     
  7. ffejry

    ffejry #1 Bears Fan

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2015
    Messages:
    6,298
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    69
    Yes I remember the smoking ban in public areas like hotel lobbies. I recall having this discussion with my buddy and saying we needed to make sure we were in compliance. I know a lot of people at the time were confused if they were allowed to smoke or not.
     
  8. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2011
    Messages:
    19,795
    Location:
    Somewhere in Middle America
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    70
    I was in LV many times in the late 1990s and I sure don't remember any kind of blanket smoking ban.

    The closest I can remember of that era was the Silver City experiment.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  9. Nick Carroway

    Nick Carroway Tourist

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2013
    Messages:
    99
    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    The link posted above by Sonya is a response to an earlier piece published in the same journal.

    https://www.cdcgamingreports.com/commentaries/casinos-need-to-take-one-more-step-to-protect-customers-employees/

    This excerpt is especially thought provoking:
    "Casinos that allow smoking are catering to about 14 of every 100 customers while permitting the health of the other 86 customers – and all employees – to be endangered without their consent. And six of those 14 smokers would support a ban."
     
    • Like Like x 2
  10. tt600

    tt600 Tourist

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2011
    Messages:
    80
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    You will notice the stats above say nothing about how much smokers vs non smokers gamble. I would bet it’s at least three to one.
    I don’t smoke but I know why it’s legal.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  11. Ken D

    Ken D Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2017
    Messages:
    286
    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    I think everyone would agree it is definitely better for the employees. As to whether it is good for business or not, the same discussion happened when it was restaurants and bars, and in the end, we now accept it as the normal, and those cities that still allow it are not the normal. I think we'll see this transition occur for casinos, and hopefully, sooner rather than later.
     
  12. vegasvstr

    vegasvstr VIP Whale

    Joined:
    May 31, 2017
    Messages:
    3,477
    Location:
    Usa
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    Will be interesting to see if this makes any of the other MGM resorts more smokey if lots of non-smokers move.
    The locals here have 1/2 non-smoking, but they put all the modern machines in the smoking areas, resulting in the smoking areas being much smokier, etc. due to the concentration in a smaller area!
     
  13. tt600

    tt600 Tourist

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2011
    Messages:
    80
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    There is a tipping point obviously where the lower playing non-smokers finally overwhelm the higher playing smokers. Coming soon I agree, but not yet. I was at Wendover last weekend and noticed the tables (non-smoking now) were not very crowded despite sold out hotels. And limits were low (5-10).
     
  14. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2011
    Messages:
    19,795
    Location:
    Somewhere in Middle America
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    70
    Is there any data supporting the premise that smokers bet more and more often than do nonsmokers?
     
  15. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 1999
    Messages:
    44,195
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    The one I linked has this bit, which applies to this as well, especially as Vegas tries to survive this pandemic.

    I agree that COVID is a good excuse to restrict smoking, as you can frame it as a safety measure to keep masks on people in the casino. But what impact that has on foot traffic is yet to be seen.

    There was some reporting over the weekend (I don't have the link now, but will post it in my COVID News post today) that Cosmo has requested people not smoke or vape while walking through the casino. That's a half-measure, but might be the first steps towards further smoking restrictions there. We'll have to wait and see how it shakes out over time. Especially next year, if we get a vaccine and things start to return to "normal" towards the end of 2021. If ParkMGM and even a couple others are still non-smoking, I'm guessing we'll see some change in the legislature in Nevada and maybe a more to a wider ban. But until the, we're just speculating and possibly practicing a bit of wishful thinking.
     
  16. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2011
    Messages:
    19,795
    Location:
    Somewhere in Middle America
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    70
    One of my very first observations, back in the 1970s, about Las Vegas, was that most casino patrons smoked. My guess was about 80-90% of those in any casino at the time. Really. Not exaggerating.

    In recent years I know this has come down, but I say that in recent years, before Covid hit the fan, that is, it was maybe 40% or so smokers in the casinos. That's my most recent guess.
     
  17. Jimgotkp

    Jimgotkp High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2020
    Messages:
    605
    Location:
    AZ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    They could enforce the non-smoking policy on the casino floor since people would be doing it out in public on the casino floor. Question is how they will approach MJ smokers in their rooms. I realize it can be difficult to pinpoint the location of those using MJ in their rooms but this is starting to get annoying. I don't mind MJ users when they are outside or on the casino floor but the last thing I want to smell in my room is MJ.The worst experience for me was at PH (shocker) when the smell was coming through the ventilation and I felt like I was being hotboxed in my own room.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  18. The Rumor

    The Rumor VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2015
    Messages:
    6,183
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    25
    The question isn't will you turn off some people - of course you will. The question is can you now be the first/high choice among enough of the % who don't smoke? In the age of the rona, with depressed business, plus an era were more and more people don't smoke...it feels like it could be?

    Really, outside of gambling and bars, there aren't many places left you can smoke even in a casino hotel in Vegas. Even a hotel with a smoking gaming floor generally has a massive % of non-smoking hotel rooms.
     
  19. willslotforcash

    willslotforcash MIA

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2015
    Messages:
    214
    I think this is great.

    It's one of the reasons why we enjoy Caesars Windsor, even though the slot selection isn't quite my taste.
     
  20. ReTriggerMe

    ReTriggerMe Stand Up to Jewish Hate!

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2020
    Messages:
    10,295
    Location:
    San Francisco East Bay
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    48
    I'm excited that Nomad's reopening.

    But, a check of the Park MGM website restaurant reopenings isnt very encouraging. Primrose, Bavettes, and the burger counter by the sports bar. And about 1/3 of the counters in Eataly.

    I assume the LVB-facing fast food joints like Crack Shack have been open all along
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.