Advocates Warn PA Black Caucus: Casino Smoking Loophole Puts Black Workers at Risk

Harrisburg, PA — In a letter to the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) and the Center for Black Health and Equity (CBHE) called for action on the state’s casino smoking loophole, highlighting the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure to the women and Black Americans who make up most of Pennsylvania’s gaming workforce.

ANR and CBHE call attention to the extreme health risks that secondhand smoke exposure poses, writing that it is a “risk factor for chronic illness and even death; and smoke-filled casinos have been shown to have some of the highest concentrations of toxic indoor air.” Smokefree casinos are popular and profitable, write ANR and CBHE — so there is no reason for casinos to continually put workers and patrons at risk.

According to Pennsylvania’s own Gaming Control Board, the state’s gaming workforce is comprised mainly of women and Black workers — a group of workers “who are statistically more likely to be at risk for chronic health conditions such as heart and lung disease, COPD, asthma, and many forms of cancer,” says ANR and CBHE. While the casino industry has attempted to market itself as a champion of workplace diversity and responsible gaming, its refusal to protect its vulnerable workers proves otherwise.

As public health faces critical threats from the current administration, including budget cuts and agency erasures, ANR and CBHE write that Pennsylvania lawmakers have a duty to protect casino workers now more than ever: “Your decision can either bring parity to the workforce by providing equitable workplace protections or condemn Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable segment of the workforce to hazardous working conditions that undoubtedly contribute to chronic disease and illness.”

“Please support HB880 and help us stand up for protecting casino employees to ensure a safe, healthy, and dignified workplace for all workers,” the letter concludes.

Read the full letter here.

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Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for nearly 50 years, since 1976, to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANR 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. ANR 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://nonsmokersrights.org and https://smokefreecasinos.org.