• PENN Entertainment casino workers have addressed a letter to the higher-ups in the company ahead of the shareholder vote on Tuesday
• Workers are seeking to end indoor smoking exemptions at casino properties owned by the company, citing the health risks they face daily
• Smoking, argue the workers, is not needed for casino properties to thrive, and allowing it indoors may have the opposite effect

Much is hanging on the upcoming shareholder vote due to take place on Tuesday, June 17, when shareholders will vote on a range of issues, and specifically whether to approve all three director candidates nominated by HG Vora, and specifically William Clifford, Johnny Hartnett, and Carlos Ruisanchez.

Smoking has to go, PENN workers tell bosses ahead of shareholder vote

Yet, ahead of the seminal vote, another issue has cropped up, with workers stepping forward to urge shareholders, and the top brass, to end smoking on casino floors and bring Penn Entertainment and its casinos in compliance with a public health mandate that has snuffed out smoking in indoor spaces but has continued on gaming floors because of exemptions.

Now, workers at Penn have released an open letter urging Jay Snowden specifically to shift the company to a smoke-free indoor policy, citing the overwhelming health risks as a reason why, as well as offering financial evidence that fears of losing financial momentum are unjustified.

CEASE Kansas Fonder and Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway security officer, Joe Hafley, has addressed the company’s chief executive in the letter, and said:

"We are part of a growing national movement of casino workers who believe we should not have to choose between our health and our jobs," adding that "secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses."

Momentum for ending the smoking exemption has built steadily up over the years, but despite politicians vowing support, and a seemingly overwhelming majority of workers backing the idea, the goal of actually ending the indoor smoking mandate has remained elusive.

The letter went a step further to cite official CDC data about the adverse impact that smoking has, with specificity to second-hand smoke, and also noted that only 11% of Americans today are regular smokers, meaning that the vast majority of people visiting casinos would actually be reluctant to sit down next to a smoking person.

The evidence is there to justify ending the smoking exemption

The letter further cited a recent study in which non-smoking properties could in fact be outperforming financially properties that are still relying on smoking to offer a targeted service to a minority of players.

Despite those appeals, however, most casinos, including in places such as New Jersey, have remained guarded about embracing change too quickly, citing a still slow post-pandemic recovery as the reason why they do not wish to lose customers by collectively deciding to snuff out cigars.

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