Kansas cassino employees working at the state’s quartet brick-and-mortar commercial-grade gaming properties have got formed a coalition to impulse lawmakers inwards Topeka to tightlipped the indoor smoking loophole.
Kansas’ Indoor Clean Air Act prohibits smoking in to the highest degree public indoor places. But the res publica law, which went into gist inward July 2010, provides exceptions for gaming venues such as the state’s four commercial message casinos.
A grassroots mathematical group consisting of cassino workers from the Hollywood Casino at Sunflower State Raceway, Kaw River Star Casino & Resort, Boot J. J. Hill Casino, and Kansas Crossing Casino this week launched the Kansas chapter of CEASE — Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects.
CEASE was formed in 2021 in New island of Jersey inward response to smoking existence allowed to payoff indoors the niner casinos in Atlantic City. The smoking comeback followed a temporary cessation of indoor gambling casino smoking ordered by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Group Expands to Midwest
CEASE is today lobbying several commonwealth governments to come together indoor smoking loopholes afforded to commercial casinos. Along with its New island of Jersey and now KS efforts, CEASE has chapters in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
We are connection our peers from across the country and launching CEASE Kaw River to exact a sportsmanlike and safe working surroundings for the thousands of workers who are the backbone of the gaming industry,” said Joe Hafley, beginner of CEASE Kansas.
Hafley is a cassino protection officer who says his task requires him to frequent smoking sections.
“Even if I’m not stuck on a gaming tabular array similar some of my coworkers, I’m still forced to respire secondhand fume end-to-end my shifting and lead home smelling the like cigarettes,” Hafley continued. “For far too long, casino workers experience been the only if community of interests of people who want protections from the dangers of secondhand smoking inwards our workplace.”
Efforts inward the Topeka capital to decimate cassino smoking are already underway. Last month, an act that would take away casinos’ immunity from the Sunflower State Indoor Clean Air passed the tell Senate.
Though the Sunflower State Legislature concluded its 2023 session on April 28, the cassino smoking statute is expected to be taken up inward the body politic House when it convenes for the 2024 session inward January.
State Gaming Regulators Neutral
The Sunflower State Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) said it has no formal view on the ongoing tolerance of indoor cassino smoking.
“As a regulatory body, KRGC is neutral on this number and does not occupy a position. KRGC enforces commonwealth statutes and regulations, which currently earmark for smoking on the gambling casino floor,” read a statement from Randy Evans, the KRGC’s public selective information officer.
CEASE members say they’ve been forced to do work in toxic environments long enough. And with Mother’s Clarence Shepard Day Jr. existence this Sunday, Nicole Vitola, a tabular array games dealer at the Borgata inward Atlantic Ocean City who co-founded the organization, says sufficiency is enough.
This weekend, as many celebrate and drop clip with some of the to the highest degree of import women inwards their lives, unnumberable mothers and even pregnant women testament exhibit upwardly to their jobs inward Atlantic City casinos and live forced to piece of work in grievous conditions as they suspire used smoke,” Vitola declared.
“After working inwards the casinos for 20 years, I cognize this reality firsthand. I worked inward a cassino throughout my 2 pregnancies, and in single horrible incident, was forced to put to work in a mellow tumbler elbow room with six VIPs blowing cigar smoking in my face piece i was visibly pregnant,” she said. “I feared for my wellness and for the health of my unborn child.”
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