Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison Celebrates 3 Smokefree Years
“We at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison are excited to share with others in the commemoration of our third year of having gone smokefree!” said Dan Brown, Executive Manager. “The only smokefree casino in the state, we are hopeful that we have started a trend in the industry. Our guests and our employees appreciate this decision, and it is paying dividends both in our business levels and in the health of all. I am, therefore, hopeful that many others will come out to share in this recognition and celebration of three years of a smokefree casino!”
In partnership with Native American Tourism of Wisconsin, Ho-Chunk Nation hosted a celebratory event at the venue on August 17th with media and attendees from other Tribes. View a moving 3 minute video documenting the event: Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison 3-Year Smokefree Anniversary
ANR Foundation presented an award to Ho-Chunk Nation at the smokefree anniversary event, and we are honored that the Tribe presented ANR Foundation with a blanket ceremony in appreciation of our support for smokefree Tribal casino efforts. “We are so grateful to be honored with the blanket ceremony by Ho-Chunk dignitaries,” said Char Day, ANR/F Program Manager. “We will treasure the gift always and are happy the Ho-Chunk Nation made the lifesaving decision to go smokefree at their Madison casino for the health of their employees and patrons.” Day added, “Speaking from personal experience as someone who has asthma, it is a huge relief to walk into the Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison casino and not have to worry about an asthma attack from breathing secondhand smoke.”
Executive Manager Dan Brown was initially encouraged to change the casino’s policy after reviewing Gambling with Our Health, a study conducted by the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council’s Epidemiology Center (GLITEC). GLITEC partnered with a different tribal casino in Wisconsin to survey their player’s club members about attitudes toward cigarette smoke in the casino. Their results indicated that going smokefree could bring high-tier players in more often, which would result in higher earnings for the casino.
Like any casino, Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison wants to be welcoming to all of its customers. There is a smoking patio where people can step outside to light up and then return to the gaming floor. This keeps the indoor air clean and healthy for everyone breathing in the building.
Smokefree indoor air not only helps attract more customers (87.1% of U.S. adults are nonsmokers) but also saves money on cleaning costs and ventilation systems, and it increases worker productivity. Most importantly, it saves lives.
For more information on smokefree casinos, please see our resources here, visit smokefreecasinos.org, or contact us.
