While the study raises some important observations about consumer expectations in the wake of a recent global pandemic, much of it won’t be welcome with open arms by the industry - likely for good reason.įor starters, the report dismisses historical evidence that smoking bans eat into corporate profits by shifting some of the blame for dips in revenue onto “external factors” - and it largely asserts that “this time’s different” per an analysis of post-pandemic casino environments. However, a new study issued by the Las Vegas firm, C3 Gaming, attempts to convince the industry otherwise, as a number of states toy with the possibility of imposing new smoking bans. In a sense, consumers have democratic control over corporate policy through where, how or if they spend their dollars.Īnd judging by casino profits in recent months, “the people” simply don’t seem to prioritize clean air over the entertainment value of bustling slot machines and gaming attractions. When profits increase, it generally indicates consumers value what they are purchasing - while declining profits indicate the opposite. As a result, pretty much every pit boss, slot manager and resort executive agree that clearing the air of tobacco smoke would be bad for business - cigarettes and profits being deeply intertwined within the industry.Īnd while it’s easy to assert that clean air should be more important than profits, it’s important to understand that profits are often the market mechanism through which businesses judge how well they are responding to consumer preferences. Indeed, there has long been an understanding in the industry that non-smoking visitors are more than willing to tolerate the kind of smoke-filled environments that keep nicotine addicts feeding dollar bills into slot machines.

There’s a reason casinos are among the last remaining venues to still allow smoking indoors: Consumers tolerate it.

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