Park MGM Reopens Smoke-Free on September 30

Park MGM and NoMad Hotel will reopen for visitors on September 30. MGM Resorts announced on Monday that both properties will be completely smoke-free once they reopen doors.

Closed Back in March, MGM Park Reopens at the End of September

The last MGM property which is still closed – Park MGM will reopen on September 30, announced MGM Resorts on Monday. Back in March, casinos, hotels, and other businesses in Nevada were ordered to shut down in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. And Park MGM has been dark since. But this is going to change on September 30 when Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas will reopen its doors for visitors and will be completely smoke- and vape-free. Park MGM’s casino floors are going to be smoke-free as well as the luxury NoMad hotel, located on the higher floors of the resort. This move by MGM makes Park MGM the first completely smoke-free resort located on the Strip in Las Vegas.

Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts CEO and President shared his excitement by saying: “Opening Park MGM and NoMad represent significant milestones, as they are the last of our properties to welcome back employees and guests alike.” MGM’s CEO continued by saying that the company has been through extraordinary challenges in the last six months. He thanked MGM’s tireless team for the effort which led to the reopening of the property. “There is much work ahead as we remain focused on the health and safety of our employees and guests, but this is an important moment for us,” concluded Hornbuckle.

According to Anton Nikodemus, President of MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas Portfolio, the company has seized the opportunity to be responsible and also answer the recurring guest demand to offer a fully non-smoking casino resort on the Strip. “With an expansive Las Vegas portfolio, MGM Resorts is able to offer an array of options for visitors, all within the MGM Resorts family,” wrote Nikodemus in a statement.

Operating in the COVID-19 Environment

MGM Resorts has been leading by example with top health and safety measures ensuring the safe operation of its venues and the wellbeing of both employees and guests. The operator went even further and introduced its comprehensive “Seven Point Safety Plan” for operation in the COVID-19 environment. Similar to MGMG’s Empire City Casino New York which will reopen on September 21, Park MGM Las Vegas will also follow the “Seven Point Safety Plan”.

But it seems that with the introduction of a smoke-free casino resort on the Strip in Las Vegas, MGM is leading by example once again. Currently, it remains unknown if other operators will follow the move by MGM and introduce smoke-free venues. Ever since the foundation of Las Vegas and the establishing of the Strip, smoking was allowed at the casino floors. And gambling operators have shared the same opinion – smoking is allowed on the casino floors. While some venues have temporarily tried to ban smoking, most tryouts have not seen any real progress.

Casino operators have feared that with a smoking ban there would be a potential decline in revenue. But looking at the poll results by Las Vegas Advisor from August, we found that smoke-free casinos were supported by 72% of the interviewed gamblers. In other words, 72% out of the 1523 people interviewed supported a smoking ban. In contrast, smoking in casinos received the support of only one-fourth of the total number of people who voted. With that in mind, we can honestly say that smoking at the casino floors remains a controversial topic.