Casino Workers Urge Wynn Resorts to Evaluate Impact of Indoor Smokefree Casino Policies

Wynn Worker Releases Video Ahead of Shareholder Vote: “Does Wynn Really Want to Keep Dealing With All of These Extra Costs?

Berkeley, CA — On Wednesday, April 30, Wynn Resort shareholders will vote on a proposal to commission and disclose a report on the financial benefits of adopting smokefree policies in its casinos. Ahead of the vote, workers at Wynn properties have released a video calling on the casino company to evaluate the benefits of transitioning to a smokefree 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

“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 coming months, shareholders of Penn Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, and Caesars Entertainment will also vote on proposals asking for similar studies to assess the economic benefits of indoor smokefree 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 smokefree policies are simply cost-effective.”


Wynn Resorts employs over 28,000 workers across its five global resorts, including Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, which permits smoking throughout its casino floors. Wynn Resorts’s other U.S. location, Encore Boston Harbor, is already smokefree, and the company has proposed to build another $13 billion smokefree facility in New York — demonstrating that smokefree policies do not hinder Wynn’s financial success.

###

About ANRF

American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF) is a 501c3 non-profit educational and advocacy group that has been working for nearly 50 years to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANRF has continuously shined a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound and life-saving public health measures and successfully protected 61% of the population with local or statewide smokefree workplace, restaurant, and bar laws. ANRF aims to close gaps in smokefree protections for workers in all workplaces, including bars, music venues, casinos, and hotels. For more information, please visit https://no-smoke.org/. ANRF projects include https://smokefreecasinos.org/ and https://smokefreemusiccities.org/.