The shareholders of Wynn Resorts will cast their votes today on a proposal to create and publish a report detailing the financial advantages of implementing smoke-free policies within its casinos. In anticipation of the vote, employees at Wynn properties have produced a video urging the casino company to assess the benefits of moving towards a smoke-free indoor air policy.
“The most common complaints that I personally hear from guests is regarding their annoyance of the cigarettes, cigars, and vapes,” said Kanie Kastroll, dealer for Wynn Resorts, in the video. “What I can’t understand is if research has shown that almost 90% of people are non-smokers, then why must this overwhelming majority of workers and guests have to be subjected to the second-hand smoke of the 10% minority? The long-term risk is too high for Wynn Resorts to cater to the minority. I have never seen a worker survey regarding second-hand smoke at Wynn. Why not? I have never heard about one for our guests either. Why not? Wynn Resorts already has smoke-free gaming at Boston Encore, and is applying for a smoke-free casino in New York City. What about Las Vegas? All I ask right now is for Wynn Resorts to commit to a study on the economic benefits of transitioning to a smoke-free workplace.”
In the upcoming months, the shareholders of Penn Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, and Caesars Entertainment will cast their votes on proposals requesting similar studies to evaluate the economic advantages of indoor smoke-free policies.
In the joint resolutions submitted to Wynn, Penn, Boyd, and Caesars, co-filers American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, Trinity Health, and School Sisters of Notre Dame Collective Investment Fund wrote, “As independent researchers C3 Gaming found in analyzing revenue performance in several competitive casino markets, smokefree casinos, for the first time, generated more revenue: ‘Data from multiple jurisdictions clearly indicates that banning smoking no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue. In fact, non-smoking properties appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking…’ Shareholders have no guidance as to the costs our Company is bearing for continuing to allow indoor smoking. The Company has not disclosed the social and environmental costs and risks imposed on its stakeholders.”
“Our proposal isn’t just about workers’ health, although secondhand smoke is deadly for casino workers,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF). “It’s also about fiscal responsibility in a changing consumer environment. After COVID-19, casino patrons don’t want to gamble in an unsafe, uncomfortable environment full of smoke and chemicals. Casino companies like Wynn have a financial obligation to their shareholders to take public opinion into account and finally acknowledge that smoke-free policies are simply cost-effective.”
Wynn Resorts has a workforce exceeding 28,000 employees across its five international resorts, including Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, where smoking is allowed on the casino floors. In contrast, Encore Boston Harbor, Wynn Resorts’ other U.S. property, is entirely smoke-free. Furthermore, the company has put forth plans to develop an additional smoke-free facility in New York, with an investment of $13 billion, illustrating that smoke-free initiatives do not impede Wynn’s financial prosperity.
