Builds on Practically 60 Million Shareholder Votes in Favor Final Yr
Proposals to Wynn, Boyd, Caesars, and Penn Mirror Rising Investor Assist and Continued Concentrate on Evaluating Enterprise Advantages of Working Smokefree Indoors
Berkeley, CA — Constructing on the grassroots demand for ending smoking inside casinos within the 14 states the place on line casino patrons and employees are allowed to be uncovered to harmful secondhand smoke, American Nonsmokers’ Rights Basis (ANRF) and Trinity Well being have filed shareholder resolutions calling on a number of the largest names within the business—Wynn Resorts, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Leisure and Penn Leisure—to review the financial advantages to implementing smokefree insurance policies of their properties. Votes will happen starting April 30 and persevering with into Could and June.
That is the second 12 months the organizations have submitted proposals to main on line casino operators. The trouble this 12 months marks an enlargement after practically 60 million votes had been solid in favor of the proposal to conduct the research. Wynn Resorts, Boyd Gaming, and Caesars Leisure sought to omit the proposal from their Annual Assembly of Stockholders, nonetheless, the votes will happen after the Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) rebuffed makes an attempt to dismiss the proposal.
“There are clear enterprise dangers to permitting indoor smoking in casinos, together with greater medical health insurance premiums, greater upkeep prices and a major deterrent to potential guests on account of secondhand smoke publicity,” mentioned Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Basis (ANRF). “Final 12 months’s success demonstrated that buyers are more and more taken with understanding the monetary and enterprise implications of smokefree insurance policies. We’re inspired by the sturdy help we’ve acquired from shareholders and look ahead to partaking with extra corporations this 12 months. The continued investor curiosity alerts a rising recognition that casinos ought to, on the very least, research the prices of indoor smoking on worker morale, visitor satisfaction, and general profitability.”
In 2024, comparable proposals filed with Bally’s Company, Boyd Gaming, and Caesars Leisure garnered simply shy of 60 million shareholder proxy votes in favor. Notably, the proposal to Bally’s Company acquired backing from a broad spectrum of shareholders, together with Rhode Island State Treasurer James Diossa, who voted in favor of the proposal on behalf of the state. This stage of investor help is exceptional for first-year proposals, and was thought of by asset managers to be a powerful sign from buyers for the businesses to think about the enterprise dangers of indoor smoking.
Casinos are extra than simply locations for playing; they’re hospitality hubs that provide eating places, assembly areas, and different facilities, drawing guests who anticipate clear, wholesome environments.
“These proposals are about due diligence. Corporations research every kind of operational dangers—indoor smoking ought to be no totally different,” mentioned Cathy Rowan, Director of Socially Accountable Investments at Trinity Well being. “By evaluating the monetary influence of smokefree insurance policies, on line casino operators could make knowledgeable choices that mirror long-term shareholder worth. We’re not telling them what the end result ought to be—we’re saying it’s time to take a look at the numbers.”
Within the subsequent a number of weeks, shareholders will vote on proposals requesting that the businesses every fee and disclose a report on the potential price financial savings by means of adoption of a smokefree coverage at their properties throughout america. Shifting smoking to outside areas—already the usual in lots of states—aligns with rising public sentiment, as 88.5% of People are nonsmokers. This shift would profit companies, employees and visitors alike, together with the vast majority of employees and prospects preferring smokefree environments.
“From an investor standpoint, the request is easy: conduct a cost-benefit evaluation and report the findings. Understanding the monetary results of smokefree insurance policies is a matter of accountable company governance,” mentioned Ann Scholz, SSND, Director for Company Social Duty, College Sisters of Notre Dame Collective Funding Fund and co-filer for the proposal to Boyd Gaming. “We imagine this data is important to evaluating whether or not present practices are aligned with buyer developments and long-term enterprise efficiency.”
Along with submitting these proposals, ANRF and Trinity Well being are partaking in ongoing discussions with different main on line casino corporations, together with Churchill Downs, MGM Resorts Worldwide, and Bally’s Company, to encourage the businesses to discover the monetary and operational dangers of sustaining their present smoking insurance policies.
Background
As of 2025, 20 states, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, mandate 100% smokefree business casinos. Moreover, greater than 100 sovereign Tribal casinos function smokefree indoors. The rising development towards smokefree insurance policies displays not solely public well being priorities but additionally the enterprise case for such insurance policies.
A report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming discovered that casinos with out indoor smoking outperform their smoking counterparts. “Knowledge from a number of jurisdictions clearly signifies that banning smoking now not causes a dramatic drop in gaming income. In reality, non-smoking properties look like performing higher than their counterparts that proceed to permit smoking.”
In a Gallup survey, simply 11% of People reported having smoked a cigarette previously week. Based on the survey, “over the previous three years, a median of 6% of adults underneath age 30 say they’ve smoked cigarettes previously week, in contrast with 35% of younger adults in 2001 by means of 2003 surveys.”
Air flow techniques will not be the reply, in response to the engineers who design such techniques and collectively make up the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). “[Ventilation systems] will not be efficient in opposition to secondhand smoke” and “can scale back solely odor and discomfort, however can not eradicate publicity,” reads their report.
ABOUT ANRF
Sister group to People for Nonsmoker’s Rights, ANR Basis (ANRF) is a 501c3 non-profit instructional and advocacy group that has been working for over 40 years to guard everybody’s proper to breathe unhazardous air in workplaces and public locations, from places of work and airplanes to eating places, bars, and casinos. ANRF has repeatedly shined a light-weight on the tobacco business’s interference with sound and life-saving public well being measures and efficiently protected 61% of the inhabitants with native or statewide smokefree office, restaurant, and bar legal guidelines. ANRF goals to shut gaps in smokefree protections for employees in all workplaces, together with bars, music venues, casinos, and motels. For extra data, please go to ANRF initiatives embrace and https://smokefreemusiccities.org/.
