Smoking returns to Pennsylvania casinos after 1-year ban
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Patrons at Pennsylvania casinos are once again permitted to smoke in designated areas on the gaming floor.
In Pennsylvania, most indoor smoking is prohibited at commercial establishments across the state due to legislation passed in 2008. But, one large exception to that rule where smoking is permitted is casinos, where facilities can designate smoking areas of up to 50 percent of the gaming floor.
Casinos in Pennsylvania began reopening from the state’s COVID-19 related shutdown on June 9, 2020 at which time the smoking ban was put in place by direction of the Gaming Control Board following Gov. Tom Wolf’s office mask mandate, according to Doug Harbach, communications director for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The ban was lifted at the end of last month. So, smokers no longer have to get up from the slot machine to find an outside designated area to smoke.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in East Hanover Township says smoking is now permitted on less than 40% of its gaming floor in certain slot-machine areas but not at table games.
The Meadows in Washington, Pa.; Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie; Harrah’s Philadelphia; Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono; Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia; Live! Casino Pittsburgh; Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre; River Casino Pittsburgh and Rivers Casino Philadelphia have all confirmed that they have designated areas to permit smoking.
Casinos have come a long way since May 2020, when all of the state casinos were closed during the state’s shutdown due to COVID-19. Pennsylvania casinos brought in $413,182,161 in May 2021.
As the casino industry begins to rebound, PennLive will have a casino guide later this month to let readers know what restaurants, poker rooms and entertainment venues have reopened at Pennsylvania’s 14 casinos as well as other information about each facility.
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