Jump to full article: Las Vegas Sun, 2005-12-21
Author: Liz Benston Las Vegas Sun
Intro: One of the key issues the American Gaming Association will tackle next year will be fighting initiatives across the country that would ban smoking in casinos.
The association's chief executive, Frank Fahrenkopf, said the industry is "tremendously concerned" about the proliferation of anti-smoking petitions and other measures.
Smoking bans hurt business for casinos because some gamblers prefer to smoke, Fahrenkopf said.
As an alternative, the American Gaming Association is pushing casino members to adopt improved air filtration systems that can suck up smoke and blow in fresh air.
The association is working with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers to create a "best practices" air filtration standard that casinos can follow, Fahrenkopf said.
After the first of the year, the trade group expects to meet with the heads of several state gaming associations to discuss a standard that can be shown to state legislators and residents, he said.
"The real battle is not the federal level," Fahrenkopf said. "It's going to be at the state level."
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