From September 1 this year, clubs, hotels, bingo halls and gaming venues including Crown Casino will have to provide a smoke-free alternative. The recent amendments to the Tobacco Bill 2002 in mid May comes hot on the heels of the transition to smoke-free dining in Victoria last July.

The recent amendments to the Tobacco Bill 2002 in mid May follow hot on the heels of the transition to smoke-free dining in Victoria last July.

"The main gaming floor at Crown Casino and 533 gaming venues will be affected by this extension of smoke-free laws," said Health Minister John Thwaites, announcing the state wide Tobacco (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2002. "Smoking is already banned in Victorian restaurants, cafes, hotel dining rooms and shopping centres and this next stage of reform is a logical step".

Under the legislation before Parliament, smoking will be banned in the gaming area in single-room gaming venues. In gaming venues with two or more rooms, smoking will be prohibited in the whole of the room containing pokies.

And the main gaming floor at Crown Casino, which houses a total of 350 tables and 2500 slots, will be smoke-free for the first time - along with six of the 11 public bar areas.

Crown Casino has applied for a preliminary application for exemptions for VIP rooms that are still being considered. These areas are expected to attract substantial high-roller clientele in order to receive a waiver.

"The smoking restrictions on the casino will be tougher than other states but allow Crown to compete with interstate and international casinos in the high-roller market," Mr Thwaites said.
"Based on information received, we are likely to approve exemptions to high-roller private salons, the VIP Mahogany Room and the VIP slots room which are not accessible to the general public. Crown is proposing to change the Teak Room to a private members-only room for substantial international high-roller clientele, in which case it is likely to be exempted.

"It is not proposed to exempt the Maple Room and the Oak Room, because they do not fit the requirements," he explained.

STATE BY STATE SMOKING UPDATE
- what it means for gaming venues

Australian Capital Territory

The City Club in Civic almost closed down when it became a 'non-smoking' venue for two months, following the Smoke-free Areas (Enclosed Public Places) Amendments 1997. The manager of the establishment, Scott Howlett, said poker machine takings dropped by half.
The Australian Capital Territory's smoking laws are tough - no smoking in retail establishments, recreation, education, transport, cafe and takeaway areas; no smoking in licensed and dining premises unless they apply for an exemption.
Poker machine areas in clubs are allowed to offer smoking only if they install air exhaust systems, which filter at a certain level to be passed by Government inspectors. Casino Canberra's gaming tables are smoke-free areas, although smoking is allowed at four designated locations. It is the only casino in Australia that is not permitted to operate slot machines.

New South Wales

Under the new clean living NSW laws, diners at all restaurants and cafes are banned from smoking.
The NSW Government has ruled out a blanket-smoking ban in bars, hotels and clubs, although it says it will be inevitable in the future. So for the time being, there are no smoking restrictions in hotel and club gaming rooms.
According to industry consultant Steve Parker from CMP Marketing, a number of clubs are already taking pro-active measures to offer smoke-free areas.
"It's only a matter of time before smoke-free areas will be compulsory," he said. "We're talking when, not if. My advice is that venues should be prepared". Some of the larger clubs are working towards establishing smoking terraces or lounges directly next to the gaming machine areas to reduce potential passive smoking risks for their patrons. This should also minimize the risk of legal action following the landmark A$450,000 damages award against Port Kembla RSL to a bar worker who developed throat cancer from "passive smoking".
There are restrictions under legislation administered by the Health Department that prevents smoking at Star City Casino's gaming tables, but still permits it at gaming machines and bars. There is an exemption for tables in private gaming rooms.

Queensland

A ban on smoking in all indoor eating areas was introduced in March 2001, and came into effect on World No Tobacco Day, May 31 this year.
Conrad Jupiters Gold Coast Casino and the Conrad Treasury Casino in Brisbane enforced the ban from October 1, 2001 - eight months ahead of government legislation to reduce the impact of passive smoking.
Conrad Jupiters General Manager, Grant Bowie, said management had decided to take a pro-active role by extending smoking-free areas in both its Gold Coast and Brisbane casinos. Mr Bowie said changing social attitudes as well as the impending legislation encouraged the move, and management would use the trial period before the legislation took effect to monitor customer and staff feedback.
"I think it is accepted that there is a social desire to increase the smoke-free areas," said Mr Bowie. Health Minister Wendy Edmond applauded Conrad Jupiters for its early action, and noted that the casino's policy went beyond legislated restrictions by including sections of the gaming machine areas.
Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union organiser, Lana Howcroft, said the casino's implementation of smoke-free areas was fantastic. "I think it is a positive step and I would be hoping they would be extending it to the new high-rollers room as well," she said. Under the legislation, premium gaming rooms in casinos, prisons and on-stage acts where actors smoke as part of the performance are exempt.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is the only Australian jurisdiction that has not legislated to ban smoking in public venues, although the Government is currently involved in a review of the Tobacco Act.
Smoking, however, could be banned in local restaurants, cafes and the dining rooms of hotels if the Northern Territory Government follows anti-smoking legislation introduced by other states.
The Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union plans to lobby the NT Government and support the retail arm of the Property Council of Australia, which has called for a ban on smoking in enclosed areas of shopping centres. President Helen Creed said that the push to ban smoking would also include the state's two casinos, hotels and clubs.

Western Australia

There is only one gaming venue in Western Australia. Burswood Resort Casino is the only property in the state allowed to operate both gaming machines and tables.
Tests conducted at Burswood Casino in 1999 on 64 gaming-floor employees found that non-smoking workers had reduced lung capacity and a nicotine-related substance in their blood after eight and 10-hour shifts. The tests led to 50 percent of the casino's floor space being made smoke-free in January 2000.
Burswood public relations manager, Julie Cameron, explained that by the end of last year the main gaming floor at the casino became smoke-free.
The recent introduction of the total smoking ban on the casino's main gaming floor has resulted in dampened profits, although it is still too early to judge how long that effect will linger.
"We had a similar event around 18 months ago when we went to non-smoking on our table games," said Burswood Managing Director Mr John Schaap. "We had a dip for a few months and then it came back, so we're assuming the same thing will happen here." The casino has built two balconies off the main gaming floor for smokers to indulge, with a third almost completed.

South Australia

Parliament "No Pokies" member, Nick Xenophon, has been campaigning strongly for moves to ban smoking in gaming rooms or venues. It appears, however, that the State Government is unlikely to support the legislation, preferring to wait for a report from the Tobacco Taskforce which is at least six months away.
Smoking laws in South Australia are determined under the Tobacco Products Regulation Act 1997. Human Services Minister, Dean Brown, has said that a court decision awarding $466,000 to a New South Wales woman who contracted throat cancer from working in a bar puts an enormous onus on employers to prohibit smoking in public places.
The Minister said that they would have to make some very tough decisions about whether they will allow smoking within their workplace. He wants to extend the ban on smoking in restaurants to other community areas such as hotels, gaming venues and clubs in the interests of public health.

Tasmania

Legislation that came into force last September bans smoking in all enclosed public places, including restaurants and workplaces. In hotels, the ban applies to all areas where meals other than snacks are served. Restaurant patrons will have smoke-free dining, and bar customers can smoke away from diners.
John Mortensen, General Manager of the Federal Group's Network Gaming Division, explained that all of the gaming venues currently allow smoking.
"Patrons at our two casinos, and the state's clubs and hotels with gaming facilities are able to smoke while playing the pokies or table games," he said. "The only smoking restriction is in areas serving food, although additional smoking restrictions is on the cards."

SIDE BAR
Crown Casino curtails smoking

Croupiers at Melbourne's Crown Casino have been wearing devices to measure chemical levels in the air around gaming tables as unions step up a push to ban smoking in hospitality work areas nationwide. The tiny devices worn on croupiers' lapels measure the ambient nicotine and carbon monoxide levels. WorkSafe ordered the devices be used after action by the casino employees' health and safety
representatives in July 2001.
WorkCover said it will continue passive smoking monitoring at Crown Casino, despite test results indicating gaming staff are not at risk. The casino has claimed its air quality system had "satisfactorily completed" initial WorkCover requirements. But the casino's workers union and anti-smoking groups condemned the findings, vowing to continue the fight against passive smoking. Quit chief executive, Todd Harper, said the test results were inconceivable considering the body of research about passive smoking.

At the blackjack tables at Crown Casino, anti-smoking air curtains have been installed that blow dual curtains of fresh air between players and croupiers. This move is designed to keep tobacco fumes away from non-smokers on either side of the cards. The air ducts are set into a polished wooden "smile" panel around the perimeter of the semicircular blackjack tables. Powerful fans below the upholstered playing surface send up a curtain of clean air that takes exhaled tobacco smoke in an arc, forward and up, over the croupier's head. Other ducts, set around the chip tray in front of the croupier, add to the protective screen.

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