Smoke-free casinos? Las Vegas dealer hopes to make it a reality amid reopening plans
A longtime casino dealer is calling for safer, smoke-free environments amid plans to reopen properties along the Las Vegas Strip.
Kanie Kastroll, who has been dealing at the Las Vegas Wynn for 15 years, told station KVVU that she and her colleagues are “nervous” about reopening and hope to see a number of changes before they head back to work amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The first? No more smoking.
“The red flag for we, dealers, is that we cannot have second-hand smoke or smoking at any worksite anymore,” Kastroll told the news station.
“Smoking kills — and now with COVID-19, it’s another example of how smoking kills,” she added, citing studies that suggest smoking may worsen coronavirus symptoms.
Kastroll is a member of the UAW Las Vegas gaming union and said the group has been trying to snuff out second-hand smoke for years. The issue dates to 2009 when workers sued The Wynn Hotel & Casino in a class-action lawsuit demanding the hotel “take reasonable measures to protect its employees” from the known carcinogen, according to Courthouse News.
In the complaint, Kastroll and other dealers alleged Wynn “is aware of the health risks posed by exposure to second-hand smoke,” but “has failed to adequately address the problem … in the gaming area of its casino,” the outlet reported.
Much of the Sagebrush State went smoke-free after voters approved the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act in 2006, according to the Associated Press. There is no law barring smoking in casinos, however, leaving dealers, servers, bartenders and others in a fog.
Kastroll, an asthma suffer, said she dreads when guests light up because it only exacerbates her condition. In the 2009 class action, she alleged some workers were afraid to speak up about the smoky work conditions for fear of retaliation, Courthouse News reported.
“Employees are frequently faced with a choice: quit their jobs or continue to expose themselves and their unborn children to second-hand smoke,” the lawsuit states.
The fight for casino workers to be safe from second-hand smoke continues as properties along the Strip roll out plans to reopen — but under strict guidelines. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has said that when casinos reopen, they can only operate at 50 percent capacity, according to Fox Business.
The number of gaming machines on the floor and betting spots per table will also be limited to ensure proper social distancing between guests, the outlet reported.
Kastroll argues additional steps should be taken to ensure employee safety, however.
“We need our cash cleaned, we need chips cleaned, we need people cleaned — your hands,” she told KVVU. “Our union has been asking for masks since January.”
The casino dealer said she’s eager to see her regulars again, but isn’t willing to bet on her health.
“Which is better? To stay home? Stay home is safer,” Kastroll said. “Everybody is wanting to work. Everybody is wanting to make a living. But you don’t want to die for it.”
McClatchy News reached out to the UAW Las Vegas Gaming Union for comment and is awaiting a response.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Smoke-free casinos? Las Vegas dealer hopes to make it a reality amid reopening plans."