Can You Smoke in Vegas Poker Rooms or Are They Smoke-Free?

Whether or not you can smoke in Las Vegas poker rooms is a common question in today’s world that is unfriendly to smokers. Vegas is well-known for gambling, nightlife, and letting loose, and to some people, that means being able to smoke indoors. When it comes to smoking laws, Las Vegas is pretty easygoing because gamblers are often also smokers. Casinos for sure don’t want to run off their customers.

So, can you smoke in Vegas Poker rooms? While more and more poker rooms are becoming smoke–free, there are still a few that allow smoking. Some casinos have designated non-smoking areas and smokers do not usually have to go too far to light up.

If you are a smoker wanting to do some gambling in Vegas, it is beneficial to learn about smoking in casinos and poker rooms and where you can and cannot smoke. This article will discuss Las Vegas smoking regulations, where you can smoke while gambling, and where you can avoid smoke if you are a non-smoker.

Are Vegas Poker Rooms Smoke-Free?

Although casinos are usually not smoke-free, most poker rooms are non-smoking for the safety of their employees. Fewer poker rooms currently allow smoking because their employees and non-smoking poker-lovers have complained.

If you are a smoker who doesn’t want to wait to take a smoke break, it is hard to find a poker room that allows it. However, if there is an entire group of people that want to smoke and the dealer is okay with it, they do allow smoking in the room. Casinos don’t want to lose patrons, so they will often do what they need to do to keep them around and happy.

If you are in a poker room that does not allow smoking, you would have to go to an area that allows smoking. Luckily, you would not have to go very far to find a smoking area. Many times, they are only about 10 feet away from the tables.

Why Poker Rooms Are Becoming Smoke-Free

Smoking in casinos was prevalent before smoking in public became taboo. When the dangers of tobacco and secondhand smoke became known, smoking in public began to diminish.

However, the demand for smoking while gambling was so high that casinos didn’t want to take that away from their patrons.

Many casinos do not have windows so that customers can lose track of time and stay inside to gamble their money away. Because casinos want people to stay and be happy, they allow smoking so that people don’t have to get up and leave.

Because there are so many people quitting smoking, there have been more petitions to no longer allow smoking in casinos. Casinos compromised and began making designated smoke-free areas to keep everyone happy.

In the past, employees who were working in these casinos and poker rooms for so long they began to notice a hit in their health, especially those who working enclosed poker rooms where the smoke is trapped in a smaller area.

There have been many protests and petitions to make casinos and poker rooms smoke-free. A petition to Provide Smoke-Free Casinos was started after a casino employee lost a battle against throat cancer even though she never smoked in her life. Because of the backlash, most casinos began making their poker rooms non-smoking but include close areas to allow smoking patrons to have a smoke break.

Many casinos in Las Vegas have begun to include specialized ventilation systems to remove smoke and circulate fresh air.

Smoking Laws In Las Vegas

The Nevada Clean Air Act made significant changes to Nevada’s smoking laws to protect the health of children and adults from secondhand smoke in public places and indoor public places.

This law prohibits smoking in:

• School buildings
• Grocery stores
• Childcare facilities
• All restaurants
• Bars that allow patrons under the age of 21
• Shopping malls
• Video Arcades
• Movie theatres
• Government buildings

However, there are areas where this smoking law is exempt. Some of those areas are:

• Areas of casinos where minors are restricted by law
• Bars where people under the age of 21 are prohibited
• Strip clubs
• Retail tobacco stores

Although it is legal to smoke in poker rooms and casinos, some owners choose to be smoke-free for the safety of their employees and patron’s health.

Smoking in Casinos

Some casino floors offer non-smoking areas. However, these areas can still smell like cigarettes from nearby smoking areas. So, if you do not like the smell of smoke, it may be hard to find an area where you will not run into that issue.

The newest casinos made have an added powerful filtration system that is meant to make a difference in the air quality, even when there is smoking.

When smoking in casinos, you can only smoke in the areas that it is allowed, you may not smoke in an area that is marked “no-smoking” or “smoke-free.”

Where You Can Smoke in Casinos

You can smoke in any area that is not marked as a smoke-free area. These non-smoking areas will be marked with signs and frequently be roped off. The smoking portion of casinos is much larger than the non-smoking areas because most people enjoy lighting up while gambling. If you are a smoker, then casinos are the place for you.

Casinos with Smoke-Free Areas

Because of people requesting areas where there is no smoking, more and more casinos have made no-smoking areas for them.

Some well-known casinos that offer no-smoking areas include:

• The Bellagio – Includes designated smoke-free areas and poker rooms. This casino accommodates non-smokers by evacuating the pits and making needed adjustments.
• Harrah’s Las Vegas – Features a 1000 square foot non-smoking area with roulette tables, reel slots, and other gaming machines.
• The Mirage – Offers smoke-free sections and a great air filtration system to help prevent contamination.
• MGM Grand – Has non-smoking slot sections and gaming tables in its main casino.
• Venetian and Palazzo – Has smoke-free sections on top of a high-quality air filtration system.

Where You Can’t Smoke in Casinos

Most casinos in Las Vegas allow smoking, and there are very obvious areas where you cannot smoke. These areas will be marked. Upon arriving and being in the casino and hotel lobby, you cannot smoke. Smoking is only allowed in the casino areas that are marked for smoking. Smoking in casino elevators is also not allowed.

Fully Non-Smoking Casinos

If you are someone who doesn’t smoke and can also not stand the smell of it, it is almost impossible to find a casino in Vegas where you can get away from both the act of smoking and the smell of smoking.

There are, however, some hotels and casinos that are entirely smoke-free, so if you are a non-smoker, you may want to choose one of the following to enjoy your gambling:

• The Signature Hotel at MGM Grand
• The Platinum Hotel and Spa
• The Four Seasons
• Vdara
• Delano

Final Thoughts

There are not many casinos in Vegas where you would have to worry about where you need to go to get a smoke break because most casinos allow smoking right inside while you gamble.

If you are in an area that is posted as a smoke-free area, then all you would have to do is leave that area and move to a zone where smoking is allowed. Furthermore, if you are a smoker, it is best to avoid the completely smoke-free casinos where you would have to go outside to enjoy a smoke.

Related Questions

How do hotels know you smoked in a room? Most modern hotels now have special sensors in their rooms which will detect when someone is smoking. Many hotels will charge a “smoking incident” fee to guests who violate the rules and smoke in non-smoking rules. So, if you are a smoker you will definitely want to request a smoking room.

Can hotels detect vaping? Yes, vaping and e-cigarettes can set off smoke alarms. Modern alarms are highly sensitive and any amount of smoke or vapors can be picked up by the devices.