Advocates criticize Senate President for rejecting smoking ban at Rhode Island casinos

Rhode Island Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio is facing criticism from advocates after his recent comments dismissing calls to ban smoking at state casinos. During an event for the Rhode Island Report podcast last week, Ruggerio publicly rejected calls to end smoking at casinos, as sought by proposed legislation from Representative Teresa A. Tanzi and Senator V. Susan Sosnowski.

The legislation aims to eliminate the exemption allowing smoking at Bally's Twin River Lincoln Casino and Bally's Tiverton Casino under the Public Health and Workplace Safety Act. Ruggerio's remarks at the event sparked controversy among those supporting the smoking ban.

He argued that employees were aware of the smoking policy when they took their jobs and suggested that alternative measures, such as wearing masks or working in designated non-smoking areas, could be taken instead of enacting legislation.

Ruggerio stated: "I mean, look, those people took those jobs knowing that there was smoking up there. Now, all of a sudden, there's a small group that feels that it's not good for their health. I mean, they could wear a mask."

"They can work in an area where they don't permit smoking. So I think the adjustment has to be made, not legislatively, but between the workers and Bally's," he added, as reported by Boston Globe.

The Senate President also expressed concerns about potential revenue loss for the state if smoking were to be banned, arguing that initiating a non-smoking policy would result in a significant decline in taxes.

"We will lose, without a doubt, one-third of our revenue if we initiate nonsmoking," Ruggerio emphasized. He suggested focusing on improving the ventilation system at the casinos instead.

Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), a national organization advocating for smoke-free environments in casinos, responded to Ruggerio's remarks with strong criticism.

In a statement, CEASE said that Ruggerio was echoing debunked talking points from the casino industry and failing to protect frontline casino workers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Vanessa Baker, co-leader of CEASE Rhode Island, emphasized that no one should be forced to breathe secondhand smoke while working and considered Ruggerio's comments as a "slap in the face" to the employees who form the backbone of the casino industry.

CEASE pointed out that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) had written to Rhode Island legislators in April, highlighting that ventilation systems are not effective in eliminating secondhand smoke exposure.

"The building and its systems can reduce only odor and discomfort but cannot eliminate exposure when smoking is allowed inside or near a building," the group said. "ASHRAE holds the position that the only means of avoiding health effects and eliminating indoor (environmental tobacco smoke) exposure is to ban all smoking activity inside and near buildings."

According to CEASE, 21 states, including neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, have already prohibited smoking in casinos, including tribal-run establishments like Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in Connecticut.

Baker further noted that Rhode Island is the only remaining state in its region that permits smoking inside casinos, calling it "shameful." She emphasized that there is a bipartisan majority in support of the legislation to end indoor smoking to protect workers and urged the leadership to bring the bills to a vote.

Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CEASE highlighted that ventilation systems do not effectively protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke. Additionally, CEASE cited a report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming that argues that banning smoking in casinos no longer leads to a significant drop in gaming revenue. In fact, non-smoking properties appear to perform better than those allowing smoking, according to the study.