Inside Gaming: Casino operators asked to study impact of banning smoking, more news
Anti-smoking advocates are urging shareholders of major casino operators in the United States to force the publicly traded companies to study the economic impacts of indoor smoking bans.
American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF) and Trinity Health have filed shareholder resolutions with a handful of domestic gambling corporations that would require the operators to study the economic benefits of implementing smoke-free policies at their properties. According to a joint press release, the organizations have resolutions pending with shareholders of Boyd Gaming, Wynn Resorts Ltd., Caesars Entertainment and Penn Entertainment.
The board of directors of Boyd and Wynn — both of which are based in Las Vegas — are recommending investors vote against the proposals, according to proxy materials distributed to shareholders ahead of annual meetings. Wynn’s annual shareholder meeting is April 30, while Boyd investors will vote on May 8.
Bally’s Corp., Boyd and Caesars investors rejected similar resolutions last year, which was the first attempt by ANRF and Trinity to get proposals on the annual voting agenda for shareholders of publicly traded U.S. gaming companies. According to the release, last year’s efforts garnered over 60 million proxy votes in support.
Besides the obvious health implications, Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, said it makes smart business sense to eliminate indoor smoking.
“There are clear business risks to allowing indoor smoking in casinos, including higher health insurance premiums, higher maintenance costs and a significant deterrent to potential visitors due to secondhand smoke exposure,” she said. “Last year’s success demonstrated that investors are increasingly interested in understanding the financial and business implications of smoke-free policies.
Prop bet ban?
Legislators in Massachusetts have introduced a bill that would ban sports proposition bets in that state and raise the tax on sports-betting providers from 20 percent to 51 percent.
The “Bettor Health Act,” introduced by Sen. John Keenan, D-Quincy, would eliminate all prop bets and in-game wagering in that state.
Proposition bets, popular in Nevada sportsbooks, especially during the Super Bowl, are wagers on a specific aspect of a game that is not necessarily related to the final outcome. It can involve statistics of individual players or whether some events occur during a game.
Keenan and other co-sponsors say there is evidence that suggests that calls for assistance on gambling help lines directly corresponds to increases in sports betting. Massachusetts sportsbooks oppose the legislation, saying a ban would encourage players to seek out illegal operators instead.
At least 13 states ban prop bets on college players, saying the practice results in harassment and abuse on social media channels.
Nebraska gaming
Nebraska’s first stand-alone casino resort opened its doors Thursday.
The $185 million Grand Island Casino Resort, operated under a partnership between Elite Casino Resorts and Fonner Park, has a seven-story hotel with 162 rooms, a casino with 750 slot machines, 20 table games and Nebraska’s first live poker room, as well as a full-service spa and indoor and outdoor pools.
Nebraska voters legalized casino gambling in 2020 and the Grand Island is the first stand-alone property to be developed.
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, through its Ho-Chunk Inc. economic development company and its WarHorse Gaming subsidiaries, has attached casinos to horseracing tracks in Omaha, Lincoln and South Sioux City.
Las Vegas Sands renewal
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore has renewed the casino license for Marina Bay Sands for three years.
In a brief announcement on its website, the GRA said operator Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s property has fulfilled requirements of Singapore’s gaming laws and that its license would be renewed effective April 26.
Sands’ only rival in Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa, operated by the Genting Group, which runs Resorts World Las Vegas, received only a two-year renewal last year after it received an unsatisfactory ranking from regulators for its failure to “develop, maintain and promote its integrated resort as a compelling tourist destination that meets prevailing market demand and industry.”
Sands will soon break ground on its $8 billion (U.S.) fourth tower that will include 570 suites, a 15,000-seat arena, a park at the top level and new gaming and convention amenities at Marina Bay Sands.
The Review-Journal is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Las Vegas Sands President and COO Patrick Dumont.
