CEASE Hopes to See Casino Anti-Smoking Action in Kansas, Missouri

With the turn of the year, CEASE is back at it, with the organizaiton seeking to mount a new public awareness campaign and build up support for ending mandates that currently exempt casinos from completely banning smoking on their gaming floor.

The argument goes that casino workers are exposed to the harms of second-hand smoke, even though they should be protected by law. 

Anti-Smoking Crusade Continues as Missouri and Kansas Lay Legal Groundwork

CEASE has pushed to have smoking prohibited in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s casinos, but it has mostly come short, despite ostensive support by high-ranking lawmakers.

Now, the group is putting its weight behind House Bill 2252 and Senate Bill 176 in Kansas, where turning casinos into smoke-free areas is put down in plain language. A similar move is coming out of Missouri with a pair of pre-filed bills, namely HB 1901 and HB 1618. 

Commenting on the new legal undertakings in both states, CEASE’s founder, Joseph Hafley, has remarked on the importance of keeping the momentum and what it could mean for casino workers there. 

“Kansas and Missouri have an opportunity to work in concert to strengthen protections for working people and close this loophole once and for all. Coordinated action across the Kansas–Missouri state line would highlight a regional shift toward modern workplace safety standards.” 

While CEASE is already engaged through its local branches in both states to muster public support and reach out to lawmakers to garner enough votes in favor of the bills, smoking on gaming floors remains a divisive issue.

Lawmakers Agree, But None Wants to Take the Blame for Potential Backfire

Most opponents argue that economic malaise follows the complete ban of smoking on gaming floors. They also argue that only limited areas are impacted, but CEASE has refused such apologia, saying that casino workers suffer the adverse and sometimes terminal outcomes of exposure to second-hand smoking.

An attempt to completely outlaw smoking in Pennsylvania is also underway, but once again, lawmakers remain hesitant as they do not want to be the ones shouldering the blame for a perceived decline in operational results, job losses, and economic slowdown. 

Until enough legislators get behind the hard data, puffing smoke off into another person’s face would be alright, even though the law says otherwise.