Casino Employees Urge Rhode Island Lawmakers to End Smoking Exemption

Vanessa Baker arrived at the State House on Thursday carrying more than just her testimony. Along with her statement, she brought inhalers, eye drops, nasal spray, and ibuprofen — the medications she now depends on to manage persistent symptoms caused by secondhand smoke exposure at Bally’s Lincoln and Tiverton casinos, where she works as an iGaming supervisor.

Baker explained that she once had a reprieve from these symptoms during the period when Bally’s temporarily prohibited smoking following the casinos’ reopening after COVID-19 closures. However, the smoking ban was rescinded by March 2022.

“It took me nine months to get put back on all that medication and I had to take a sick leave of absence for six months to get my lungs back to where I could work,” Baker testified before the House Committee on Finance. “There’s no safe ventilation that’s protecting us.”

Bill Seeks to Close Smoking Loophole for Casinos

Baker’s appearance was part of a broader effort by casino employees to urge lawmakers to legislation championed by Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat. The bill would eliminate Bally’s exemption from Rhode Island’s indoor smoking ban, an exception the casinos have enjoyed for nearly two decades.

Tanzi has introduced similar measures each year since 2021, although most versions have stalled in committee. Last year, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi permitted a symbolic vote on the measure. He is now among the 10 cosponsors backing the latest version of the bill.

“I hope we will some version of the bill this year,” Shekarchi said in an emailed statement on Friday.

The bill currently enjoys strong , with 55 out of 75 House signed on as cosponsors. This legislative momentum reflects public opinion: a February poll by the AFL-CIO showed nearly 70% of respondents “strongly” or “somewhat” favored a smoking ban at the state’s casinos.

Opposition from Bally’s Over Financial Concerns

Despite growing , Bally’s representatives reiterated their opposition to the proposed smoking ban. Craig Sculos, Bally’s senior vice president of Rhode Island Regulatory Relations, argued that allowing smoking attracts patrons from neighboring states. He noted that Massachusetts casinos and Connecticut’s two tribal casinos prohibit smoking indoors.

“Should all the regional casinos maintain a non-smoking policy, players are expected to do what players normally do: They’ll go to the casino that’s closest,” Sculos stated.

He also emphasized the financial impact, asserting that slot machines located in smoking sections bring in approximately $200 more in daily revenue compared to non-smoking areas.

“You set the floor like you set a menu in your restaurant, you set based upon player demand,” Sculos said. “If we were to see capacity switch the other way — we would make that change.”

Still, some lawmakers challenged Bally’s stance. Rep. George Nardone, a Coventry Republican, told a Bally’s representative that it was unfair to require non-smoking employees to work in smoke-filled areas.

“It’s cruel to make people that are not smokers have to inhale some and work in [that] environment — and they have to stay there based on their job,” Nardone said. “I think the state made a mistake giving you guys an exemption.”

Workers Call for Healthier Workplace Conditions

Casino workers at Thursday’s hearing also voiced their frustrations. Matt Dunham, president of Table Game Dealers Laborers Local 711, contested Bally’s argument that smoking provided a competitive advantage. He described Bally’s as a “casino of convenience,” centrally located, accessible without Boston traffic, and welcoming to 18-year-old players.

“It is not because people can smoke while they are in the building,” Dunham said. “And I can all but guarantee that the same customers will still be there, they’ll just be smoking outside of the buildings.”

Sculos mentioned that Bally’s already bans smoking directly at gaming tables and that employees may request non-smoking shifts based on availability. However, workers testified that gaining access to these shifts is difficult.

Bill DelSanto, a table games dealer at Bally’s Twin River in Lincoln, explained that shift preferences are awarded based on seniority, making it challenging for newer employees to secure non-smoking assignments.

Similarly, beverage server Karen Gorman told the committee that at Bally’s Tiverton location, obtaining non-smoking shifts is not an option.

“Even if I had that ability, I would still have to walk through the smoke,” Gorman said. “I don’t want to get cancer. I want to feed my family, I want to buy groceries, I want to pay for my daughter’s taekwondo, and for a college education.”

At the end of the hearing, the House Committee on Finance held Tanzi’s bill for further study, a common procedure during a bill’s initial review. A Senate version of the proposal, introduced on February 7 by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, another South Kingstown Democrat, has not yet been scheduled for a Senate Committee on Labor and Gaming hearing.

Source:

‘’Push to ban smoking at Rhode Island’s casinos reignites at the State House’’, rhodeislandcurrent.com, April 12,2025.