It’s an early Friday morning before Memorial Day and the slots on the Park MGM casino floor are already chirping when former smoker Chris Nelson notices a distinct absence of the smell of cigarettes.
“A smoking ban? Cool! I quit four years ago,” the Wyoming visitor says, unaware that the property became the only smoke-free casino on the Las Vegas Strip in 2020.
Others say they don’t mind either way, but a handful cite the policy as a key influence on their travel plans. Amy Chamberlain of California “wouldn’t even consider” staying elsewhere.
It’s been nearly two decades since Nevada legislators banned indoor smoking in public places, but the exceptions they made for businesses like casinos, bars, strip clubs and brothels remain intact. Aside from Park MGM, Strip resorts have kept casino smoking in place since then, but recent shareholder votes suggest public opinion could be trending in favor of eliminating that allowance.
