Latest news with #MardiGrasCasino&Resort
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘We're here for health': Kanawha-Charleston health board denies indoor smoking exemption for casinos
Tom Baldwin downloads a sports betting app onto his phone after the opening of the sports betting bar at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in December 2018. The Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health voted down an amendment to its clean indoor air regulations that would have permitted casinos in the county to allow indoor cigarette smoking in 10% of the square footage of their establishment. (Chris Dorst | Charleston Gazette-Mail) The Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health voted down an amendment to its clean indoor air regulations on Thursday that would have permitted casinos in the county to allow indoor cigarette smoking in 10% of the square footage of their establishment. The amendment was proposed by board member Jessica Hudson. It would have only applied only to gambling establishments, where 10% of the square footage would have been exempt to the clean air regulations. Any business that allowed indoor smoking, according to the amendment, would have needed to install a special ventilation system and would have been barred from serving food in the area with smoking. Board members voted 4-2 against the amendment. Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, proposed the exemption for the clean indoor air regulations to the county board of health in October 2024. In its presentation to the health board, representatives for Mardi Gras said they were losing business to a new casino in Ashland, Kentucky — about an hour's drive away from Mardi Gras — where smoking was allowed in some areas. ... this is not a chamber of commerce. We're here for health. – Dr. Dara Aliff-Lao 'Reading the financial impact certainly was impactful to me in terms of how it affects the community. But that said, this is not a chamber of commerce. We're here for health,' said Dr. Dara Aliff-Lao, an OBGYN by trade, who voted against the amendment. 'I just feel like it would send the wrong message for a health department to rescind anything. I feel like once we start eroding things, they go away completely. We've seen that time and time again in other aspects of health.' Hudson and Board President Jeremy Nelson were the only two board members to vote in support of loosening the county's indoor smoking regulations. Joining Aliff-Lao against the amendment were nurses Lillian Morris and Danita Nellhaus and Dr. Art Rubin. Hudson, who works as the executive director of Business Strategy & Analytics at Vandalia Health Network, declined an interview following the board's vote on Thursday. Nelson, an executive at Moses Auto Group by trade, called into the meeting virtually Thursday and as such was not available for an interview. During the meeting, Nelson said that he believed a 'carveout' was needed in the county's clean indoor air regulations to help Mardi Gras stay competitive against Sandy's Racing & Gaming in Ashland. 'I think this is certainly a carveout and I think that this organization [Mardi Gras] has a huge, huge impact, on our community,' Nelson said. 'They are at a disadvantage and I think they've proven that the amount of people's money that's going across the state line to Ashland [in Kentucky] right now is alarming.' But Aliff-Lao and Nellhaus told the press following the meeting that the health risks aren't worth it. Employees, Nellhaus said, would be constantly exposed to second- and third-hand smoke. This could put people who are unaware they were pregnant as well as those with certain medical conditions especially at risk. 'Mardi Gras did a good job as far as their presentation, but I think I have to say — no matter what they've said — I just understand the implications,' Nellhaus said. 'I mean, I'm a health care professional. I just think that totally outweighs anything that they would offer.' Aliff-Lao pointed out that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the nation. In West Virginia, nearly a quarter of residents — the highest rate in the nation, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — report using tobacco products. Lung cancer diagnosis rates here outpace that of every other state. After heart disease — which is also exacerbated by smoking — cancer is the leading cause of death in West Virginia, and lung cancer deaths occur more frequently than any other cancer related death. The vote Thursday followed a 30-day public comment period, where members of the public were urged to voice their opinion on opening up the county's clean air regulations. Lalena Price, public information officer for KCHD, provided a copy of those comments to West Virginia Watch upon request. Out of 36 comments received, only five seemed to support allowing smoking in the county's casinos. Comments against the amendment came from casino patrons, the American Heart Association, former smokers and more. Aliff-Lao and Nellhaus both said they were sympathetic to Mardi Gras' economic concerns. The presentation shared with the board in October alleged that the casino's market share was down to 32.8% in 2024 versus the 41.2% it held at the end of 2023. 'Mardi Gras Casino will continue to see a steady decline unless change is made to stop the erosion,' the presentation read. But Aliff-Lao said there are other economic factors that the casino should consider, namely the continuous decline in the region's population. 'We recognize that there can be an economic impact, and you hope that the casino will rally around and find other ways to make up for that revenue,' Aliff-Lao said. 'But I think [protecting] the safety of the patrons and the employees who really would be exposed [to cigarette smoke] is our job as the board of health.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kanawha health board to open public comment period about casino's smoking area proposal
Tom Baldwin downloads a sports betting app onto his phone after the opening of the sports betting bar at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in December 2018. The casino, located in Nitro, has asked the Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health to allow the casino to be exempted from the county's Clean Indoor Air Act. (Chris Dorst | Charleston Gazette-Mail) Kanawha County residents will be able to weigh in on a request by a Nitro casino that it be allowed to add an indoor smoking area, despite the county's smoking ban. The Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health on Thursday voted to open a 30-day public comment period for the Mardi Gras Casino's proposal that a closed-off area of the facility with about 150 slot machines be exempted from the county's clean indoor air regulations. The room would have a 'high-quality' independent HVAC system to remove smoke from the area, according to a proposal by casino owner Delaware North. A representative of the company first presented the proposal to the health board last fall. According to the company, the facility's competitor, Sandy's Racing & Gaming in Ashland, Kentucky has a designated smoking area with 190 slot machines. Casino officials say offering the smoking area would help Mardi Gras compete with other casinos in its regional market area. 'This initiative aims to keep Mardi Gras competitive in the market and retain business within West Virginia, as customers currently cross state lines to visit competitors that provide smoking accommodations,' a spokesman for the company told West Virginia Watch last fall. 'Our proposal outlines the creation of a separate space that ensures the comfort and safety of both smokers and non-smokers. We look forward to collaborating with the Kanawha County Health Commission on this project.' During Thursday's meeting, Dr. Arthur Rubin, a retired pediatrician and member of the health board, said he opposed exempting the casino from the smoking ban. Rubin said he had visited the casino and heard more about the proposal and the construction that would be done. 'At the end of the day for me, I'm still not in favor of an amendment to our Clean Indoor Air Act,' Rubin said. 'I am not in favor of anything that helps to facilitate smoking indoors. And with the risks to the people who are actually gambling, the smokers and to employees, regardless of what they've signed or not signed, I'm just not in favor of that.' Board member Danita Nellhaus also spoke against the proposal. Other members, including board president Jeremy Nelson, said the board should at least hear from the public about the matter. 'I think cutting it down before we hear from the public sends an awful strong message from this board that we're not open for business,' Nelson said. Clean indoor air regulations vary by county in West Virginia. Kanawha County has banned smoking in most public places and places of employment since at least 2008. The law was amended in 2020 to prohibit indoor vaping, as well. The Wheeling-Ohio County Clean Indoor Air regulation, by contrast, exempts the Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino & Racetrack, which is also owned by Delaware North. Rubin, who's been a health board member for nearly 30 years, said he can't recall another time when a business has asked the board for an exemption to the smoking ban. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other cancers by up to 30% among nonsmoking adults. Smoke-free policies are the most effective ways to protect people from the risks of secondhand smoke, the CDC said. The U.S. Surgeon General says separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air and ventilating buildings do not effectively protect people from secondhand smoke. West Virginia has one of the highest smoking rates in the country, at 21% for adults, according to the American Lung Association. The state has among the highest rates in the country for cancer deaths. Many of the state's other leading causes of death are also health conditions caused by smoking. The casino's request is opposed by several health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the West Virginia State Medical Association. In a Nov. 12, 2024 letter, they wrote that ventilation systems do not protect people from carcinogens found in secondhand smoke. 'Not only are the employees of the business that allows smoking endangered, but so are employees and patrons in adjoining businesses that share doors, windows and ventilation systems,' they wrote. 'Secondhand smoke has been proven to cause heart disease, emphysema, stroke, sudden infant death syndrome and cancer,' they said. 'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make it clear that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. We strongly urge the board of health members to reject any exemptions to the smoke-free ordinance.' In a written statement this week, a representative of the United Steel Workers, a union that represents dealers at the casino, said they're monitoring the possible changes to working conditions for members. 'As we begin negotiations on a new contract in the coming months, we intend to bargain with management over the potential health impacts,' Nathan Nelson, a staff representative for the union, said in the statement. According to the health board's bylaws, the Kanawha County Commission and the city of Charleston would also have to sign off allowing the casino to have a smoking area. Kanawha commissioners told West Virginia Watch last fall they would wait to see what the health board recommended before deciding if they'd support the measure. The health department hopes to open the comment period Monday. Kanawha County residents who wish to voice their written comments will be able to do so by email or mail. Comments must include a name and a Kanawha County address. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
