By law, Tribal Casinos are exempt from state and local laws that regulate smoking. Public health advocates are reaching out to tribal leaders and casino executives to educate them about the value of implementing voluntary smoke-free workplace policies to protect employees and guests from the toxins found in secondhand smoke.
To date, no tribal casino in San Diego County has adopted a 100% smoke-free policy.
Many tribal casinos have separate areas for smoking and non-smoking gaming, however in many of theses casino, secondhand smoke can freely drift from one area to another. Valley View, Sycuan, and Pala have enclosed nonsmoking gambling rooms. Viejas has a nonsmoking poker area, Barona has a nonsmoking poker room, and Harrah’s Rincon has a nonsmoking area on the casino floor. To learn more about each casino’s policy visit their website for more information.
How You Can Help
- Let tribal governments know you support smoke-free casinos.
- Tell casino management you prefer smoke-free casinos. If you have a casino membership card, give feedback about their smoking policy the next time they send you a survey.
- Join the SmokeFreeSanDiego Team
- Like us on Facebook to see what is going on in San Diego
Resources
Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Casino Dealers 2011
California Clean Air Project is working with tribal casinos throughout California and locally at Valley View Casino. Contact them at 916.642.1186
Communities Against Substance Abuse is working with casinos in the East Region. Contact them at 619-442-2727