As Responsible Gaming Education Month Begins, ANR Calls for Smokefree Environments that Let Players Act Intentionally

Berkeley, CA — As casinos and the American Gaming Association (AGA) mark Responsible Gaming Education Month, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is spotlighting a glaring gap in the industry’s message: casinos cannot credibly promote responsibility while still allowing smoking indoors.

The industry’s 2025 campaign encourages players to “Play Smart from the Start” by setting limits, taking breaks, and staying intentional. Yet smoke-filled casinos directly undermine those very principles by keeping players at the table longer, discouraging breaks, and exposing everyone to toxic air.

“The industry says responsible gaming means playing with intention and knowing when to take a break. But when casinos let people smoke at the table, they eliminate those natural stopping points that help players ‘Act Intentionally.’ Smokefree casinos aren’t just about protecting health, they are fundamental to responsible gaming,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “If the industry is serious about sustainability and responsibility, smokefree air must be the foundation. Until casinos close the smoking loophole, Responsible Gaming Month will ring hollow.”

Industry talking points about staying intentional, setting a budget, taking breaks, and providing a safe and fun experience all fall flat in smoke-filled casinos. Allowing indoor smoking creates an environment that encourages addictive behavior, prolongs gambling sessions, and undermines employee training programs meant to promote responsible play. Research has already shown the harm: a Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies report found that 77.6% of high-risk problem gamblers also use tobacco, underscoring the close link between the two addictions. The National Council on Problem Gambling has warned that smokefree casinos are likely to reduce problem gambling and improve public health.

One study from C3 Gaming points out that casinos acknowledge the connection between smoking and problem gambling. Smokers who step away from the tables for breaks often make intentional decisions about whether to continue playing. This underscores a core principle of responsible gaming: taking a pause allows players to reset and act intentionally. Casinos know it, but they continue to put profits ahead of responsibility.

While nearly every other workplace and public venue in the U.S. is smokefree, casinos remain an exception — placing revenue over responsibility. With smoking rates at historic lows and consumer demand shifting toward healthy, safe environments, casinos are out of step with public opinion and their own stated values.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey’s 1-800-GAMBLER Helpline and website www.800gambler.org have been resources for thousands of people with a gambling problem, those in recovery, as well as their friends and families. The 1-800-GAMBLER® helpline is free and confidential, and is available 24 hours a day in New Jersey and throughout much of the U.S.

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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.