Casino Workers Urge Shareholders to Follow Suit, Prioritize Health and Safety Over Outdated Practices
May 10, 2024
Contact: ceasesmokingnj@gmail.com
Providence, RI – Bill DelSanto, a table games dealer at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln and a member of Rhode Island’s Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), released the following statement after Rhode Island State Treasurer James Diossa agreed to back a Bally’s Corporation shareholder proposal to study the potential savings of going smokefree at all Bally’s properties:
“We applaud Treasurer James Diossa for his commitment to our health and safety, as well as joining our partners in championing this crucial cause in the boardroom. His support sends a clear message to fellow shareholders urging them to follow suit and prioritize our health over discredited economic claims. We hope his leadership will encourage others to stand in solidarity with the dedicated workers who are the backbone of these casinos and who keep these casinos running. The time is now for casino corporations to end this outdated practice – the health and well-being of our members cannot continue to be compromised by exposure to toxic secondhand smoke.”
Shareholders from American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation and Trinity Health submitted a proposal to study the potential cost savings through the adoption of a smokefree policy for Bally’s properties. The state of Rhode Island holds shares in Bally’s through its state pension fund, and along with other shareholders, will vote on the proposal at Bally’s annual shareholder meeting, May 16. Similar proposals were also sent to Boyd Gaming and Caesars Entertainment, who sought to omit the proposal from their Annual Meeting of Stockholders. However, the votes will take place after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rebuffed attempts to dismiss the proposal.
“We’re risking our lives every day just by showing up for work. In the year 2024, we know too much about the risks of secondhand smoke – with mounting evidence and public support – to be settling for anything less than the same protections granted to everyone else in the state,” Bill Del Santo said, a table games dealer at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln and a member of Rhode Island’s Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects. “These hearings are a positive step forward to finally closing the casino smoking loophole, but we can’t stop halfway in ensuring a healthier and safer environment for all. We call upon lawmakers to stand with us in prioritizing public health and worker safety by passing comprehensive smokefree legislation without delay.”
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Casino Employees Against Smoking (Harmful) Effects (CEASE) is a group of thousands of casino dealers and other frontline gaming workers that formed after indoor smoking returned on July 4, 2021 in Atlantic City, NJ and has expanded to states around the country. CEASE is fighting to permanently remove smoking from our workplaces. For more information, visit ceasesmoking.org.
