Revel Resort opened on 4/2 as the first Atlantic City smokefree casino
Posted on
Revel Resort opened to guests on April 2, 2012 as the first 100% smokefree indoors and outside casino in Atlantic City. GASP provided technical assistance to Revel Resorts throughout the decision-making process to be a smokefree facility. Read this article in Atlantic City Weekly about the grand opening in which CEO Kevin DeSantis comments about the current law in New Jersey which allows up to 25% of the gaming floor to be smoking permitted:
“Right now, the way the rules work is that about 25 percent of your gaming operation can be smoking, and the reality is, that’s very hard to police and not optimal from our perspective. Our thought process on the gaming side was very simple — you either go smoke free or you allow 25 percent of your facility to be smoke free, and we just took the plunge and said ‘you know what, we’re going to go 100 percent smoke free on the gaming side.’ On the non-gaming side, a certain number of rooms can be designated for smoking and in every other part of your facility you can’t smoke. We’re just taking the final step and saying everything’s smoke-free.”
New Jersey casinos were exempted from the 2006 New Jersey Smokefree Air Act, with subsequent local Atlantic City legislation allowing the casinos to allocate up to 25% of their gaming floors smoking-permitted, which has historically led to enforcement issues. Read about this in our 4/27/11 news alert.
On March 9, 2012, USA Today reported on how Revel may change Atlantic City as the first 100% smokefree property, indoors and outside. The article quotes Revel CEO Kevin DeSanctis,
“I think smoking is so yesterday” and turns off the clientele he seeks, says DeSanctis…. Interestingly, I have only heard from non- smokers, who are ecstatic.”
Read the Asbury Park Press article (also picked up by the Las Vegas Review Journal) about Revel’s planned opening in which our Executive Director, Karen Blumenfeld is quoted, “Who wants to be around secondhand smoke? Not workers, not guests. Not anywhere indoors or outside. It’s a class-A carcinogen that kills people. Revel CEO DeSanctis gets it and deserves a standing ovation.” Read a USA Today article and a Press of Atlantic City article about the opening. Read the GASP press release about the opening.
Go to our Atlantic City webpage to read more about this legislative history and past efforts to protect casino workers from secondhand smoke.
Learn more on our webpage about the economic impact of smokefree gaming.