NEW SAMPLE CUSTOMER SURVEY TOOL
Smoking is a rapidly evolving issue for casinos as public health concerns have risen to the forefront of people’s minds during the global pandemic.
In February 2020 there were nearly 800 smokefree gaming venues. By March 2021, that number increased to nearly 1,100 gaming venues. This includes more than 160 sovereign Tribal casinos.
Notably, 90% of young adults and 92% of seniors are nonsmokers, including most casino staff and customers.
To help casinos better understand their customers’ expectations on smokefree environments, ANR Foundation and BCSlots have developed a new sample player survey tool, including the following questions:
- Does secondhand smoke bother you in a casino?
- Regardless of whether smoke bothers you, do you believe smoke bothers casino employees and other guests?
- Do you prefer a casino that is smokefree indoors or one that allows smoking inside?
- In general, when government restrictions put in place for the pandemic are lifted in a community, should casinos maintain a smokefree indoor air policy or return to a policy of allowing smoking indoors?
“While casinos go to great lengths to understand player preferences, smoking preferences are sometimes missing from customer surveys. This new survey tool can help fill the data gap and help decision makers improve casino policies.” Clinton Isham, ANR Foundation Tribal Relations Consultant.
BCSlots recently conducted a survey with Rudies fan club members and found that 94% of frequent gamblers prefer smokefree indoor air casinos, including 88% of those who smoke.
“I’m constantly in communication with our fans who are avid gaming enthusiasts. In fact, I hear often from players that they want a clean air environment and that secondhand smoke impacts the frequency and duration of visit.” Brian Christopher, a YouTube influencer whose videos reach millions of players online.
In conclusion, casinos are learning to do their business differently, including shifting smoking to outdoor areas in order to get staff and customers back to casinos safely. With new tools like the Sample Customer Survey, many casinos will discover that smokefree is good for business.
For more resources to help casinos transition to smokefree indoor air, visit https://smokefreecasinos.org/resources/, where you will find informative webinar recordings, videos, and toolkits, and more.
