Mass. Senate Amends Gambling Bill, Adds Casino Smoking Ban

The Massachusetts Senate earlier this week was in favor of allowing smoking on twenty-five percent of the gaming floor. The issue was being discussed as part of an expanded gambling bill that would legalize three casino resorts in the state.

By Thursday, the Senate had changed their stance on the issue. The Senate voted 24-15 for an amendment that will ban smoking completely inside the casinos. The concession by the Senate may open the door to reconciling their bill with the one the House recently passed.

Even with a majority of the Senate voting for the smoking ban, there are still those who believe that smoking is necessary for the casinos to be successful. Anti-smoking groups have argued about the dangers of second-hand smoke, but the revenue bottom line was on the minds of several lawmakers.

"Only in Massachusetts would we have a casino bill and try to build a politically correct casino," said Senate Republican Leader Richard Tisei, as reported in The Boston Globe. "Have any of you people ever been to a casino, and (do you) understand what it takes for a casino to be successful and to draw people in?"

In other states, lawmakers have argued that smoking is necessary for revenue to be maximized, but that argument has fallen on deaf ears to those who have lost loved ones to illnesses caused by second-hand smoke. Lobbying groups have been trying for years to get smoking out of all public places.

"It is wonderful that our lawmakers are attempting to bring in the maximum amount of revenue from the new casinos," said Mary Binkle. "But they also have to do so in a manner that is responsible and that protects workers and customers in the casino. I mean, there are a lot of ways the state could raise money that would not endanger its residents."

June 25, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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