Bill Seeking to End Casino Floor Smoking in Iowa Halted

Iowans may have hoped that they would be able to amble down casino gaming floors in the state without the need to inhale secondhand smoke. 

Yet, these hopes are now dashed as a Senate subcommittee voted on Monday to reject a draft proposal to see an exemption allowing smoking to continue in casinos. 

Iowans Need to Hold Their Breath for Another Year

The debate around the issue has been vociferous, involving top legislators from across multiple states, but none have shown willingness to act on the issue. Sen. Tony Bisignano was among the senators to oppose the proposal, but argued that smoking would end “soon.”

Senate File 2051, though, could have expedited this and brought on the end of indoor smoking at casinos sooner, aligning it with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. The industry, and some lawmakers, have been harping on a familiar refrain.

End indoor smoking, and casinos would end up losing money, even though repeated economic studies have indicated that casinos have not, in fact, lost financial momentum. 

Lobbyists have argued strongly against the bill, repeating the familiar industry qualm that eliminating indoor smoking would suddenly see an exodus of players to neighboring states and casinos that allow indoor smoking.

On the flipside, the adverse health effects that impact workers in such environments are well-established. 

Sen. Besignato promised that he would be holding casinos personally accountable, even though he failed to do so during the recent vote.

“Casinos need to take the responsibility, and I think their business plan better start to change, and change quickly, because I will be the one pushing this,”  the senator argued. 

There Is Evidence to the Contrary. Why the Delays?

The bill, backed by the likes of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association, has focused on the empirical evidence that secondhand smoke is already killing people, both patrons and the people who staff these areas. 

One of the best-cited studies on the competitiveness of casinos faced with smoking bans was conducted by C3 Gaming, which concluded that properties had nothing to worry about in a financial sense, and there was no evidence to support the fear that they would lose business over a smoking prohibition.