Connecticut Attorney General Wants Smoking Gone From Casinos

When you have successfully completed five terms as attorney general there is a good chance that you have the support of the people you are protecting. That is the case in Connecticut where Attorney general Richard Blumenthal is going to bat for workers being blown away by cigarette smoke.

In a day and age in the US where workers have to hold on tightly to their current jobs and do not have the freedom to simply walk away and find other employment, the smoking laws in casinos have become a major issue. Worker unions have been fighting hard for lawmakers to protect casino workers from the dangers of second hand smoke.

In Connecticut, Blumenthal has had their cries for help and is answering the bell. He is proposing a Bill that would phase out smoking in casinos in the state for the next couple of years. By 2011, smoking would be eliminated altogether.

"The casinos can't be permitted to gamble with the public health," said Blumenthal. He does have some opposition to the Bill, however, and it comes in the form of Governor M. Jodi Rell.

Rell has been negotiating with the tribal leaders at Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun to try and limit the area in which smoking is permitted inside the casinos. Rell believes the tribes will come around on their own, and do not need a law in place to stop the smoking. Tribal leaders have expressed otherwise.

"The right of our people to govern our land is a rule of law...," said Chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, Bruce Bozsum. His statement indicates a non-willingness to be governed by Blumenthal or any other lawmaker in the state.

The United Auto Workers have been lobbying for smoking bans in Connecticut casinos. They claim, backed by evidence, that second hand smoke is harmful and can have grave effects on workers inside these casinos where smoking is permitted in order to keep revenue high.

February 10, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!

Casino Gambling In Indiana Up In The Month Of January
Vicksburg Casino Gambling Holding Its Own In US Market
Tribal Casino In Arizona Could Provide Much Needed Employment
Past Tribulations Could Cost Packer Pennsylvania Casino License
Greektown Hoping More Rooms Means More Gambling In Detroit