Casino Smoking Ban Bill Moves Forward in Senate, Aims to Take Effect by 2027

The Senate Committee on Labor & Gaming voted 7-0 to advance an amended bill by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, for consideration by the full chamber. A floor vote has been set for Wednesday (today).

Committee member Sen. Ryan Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat, was absent from the vote. “To say it’s been a long time coming would be an understatement,” Sosnowski told the committee. “We want our workers to be strong, healthy, vibrant, [and] making money for our state.”

Sosnowki’s bill would prohibit smoking inside Bally’s Corp.’s Lincoln and Tiverton casinos effective Jan. 1, 2027 — though there is a carveout for smoking bars located within the buildings, specifically the Plume & Proof Cigar Bar enclosed inside Bally’s Lincoln facility.

Sosnowski’s original proposal called for an immediate ban. She said she still favors an immediate ban but called the compromise to delay its start by a year and a half “a step in the right direction.” “It is going to take time for Bally’s to implement this,” she said. 

The revised timeline is not included in the companion bill sponsored by Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat, set for consideration by the House Committee on Finance Wednesday afternoon. But the wording on Tanzi’s bill is subject to change, confirmed House spokesperson Larry Berman. Tanzi said she appreciates the Senate finally advancing the smoking ban proposal but remains concerned about the language related to smoke bars.

“It doesn’t put on the parameters that are necessary to prevent it from expanding,” she said. “They could put one in Tiverton with the same name.”

Tanzi suggested additional amendments to specify square footage of smoking lounges. Sosnowski said she does not intend to make any additional changes to her bill.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, who is among the 10 cosponsors of Tanzi’s proposal, said he supports the changes made by the Senate. “This was an agreement reached by several interested parties and it now provides a date certain when smoking will be eliminated,” he said.

Sosnowski credited Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, a Providence Democrat, for brokering the final version approved Tuesday. 

Ciccone, who has been a staunch opponent against banning smoking, initially sought to negotiate an agreement between Bally’s and union leaders to expand existing non-smoking areas at the Lincoln facility. Union officials opposed any deals that kept smoke inside, he previously told Rhode Island Current. 

Instead, Ciccone focused on what terms Bally’s could accept, which led to his introduction of a bill to raise the cap on marketing reimbursements the company receives from the Rhode Island Lottery. The Senate approved the measure 32-4 on June 3, despite objections from state regulators. Ciccone’s bill has yet to be referred to the House for consideration.

Bally’s representatives still voiced opposition to Sosnowski’s legislation Tuesday afternoon. Elizabeth Suever, the company’s vice president of government relations, told the committee that banning smoking could have a negative effect on state revenue. She projects a potential loss of $30 million to $60 million in tax dollars for the state, citing revenue hits the company faced in Delaware and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Suever also argued that allowing smoking attracts customers coming in from out of state. If those customers stop coming, she said the company would likely have to reduce the number of workers in the facilities. “Like all casinos, Bally’s staffs to volume,” she said.

But Karen Gorman, a bartender at Bally’s Tiverton casino, said the company already struggles to have enough workers — likely because they have to deal with constant second-hand smoke. “People aren’t coming to be an employee at the casinos,” Gorman said.

Bally’s has 35 job postings for its Lincoln casino and 26 at its Tiverton location as of Tuesday, according to its website.

Gorman and the handful of other Bally’s workers who attended Tuesday’s hearing gave their overall support for the bill, though they would prefer the smoking ban take effect sooner. “You’ve got to rip the Band-Aid off,” she said in interview.

Matt Dunham, president of Table Game Dealers Laborers Local 711, told Rhode Island Current he would have liked to see smoking gone within six months, but still sees Sosnowski’s legislation as a win. “I’ve been doing this for four years and we’ve never made it anywhere,” Dunham said. “I’ll take this over starting fresh next legislative session.”