CEASE Arrives at Norfolk Casino Groundbreaking to Protest Indoor Smoking

After a four year wait, Boyd Gaming finally broke ground on its $500 million casino complex in Norfolk, Virginia on Wednesday. But while the event was mostly a cause for celebration, one group of employees used the occasion to protest current laws regarding working conditions in the gaming industry.

Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) made its voice heard during Wednesday’s groundbreaking, saying that current laws aren’t enough to ensure that casino workers are safe from smoking’s impact on their health. 

CEASE Workers Asking Smokers to Move Outside

As of now, the Norfolk Casino – formerly known as HeadWaters Resort & Casino – is set to comply with the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act. Under that law, smoking is permitted indoors, provided that proper ventilation is in place. 

However, CEASE members say that those current regulations aren’t nearly enough to protect workers. 

“I’ve lived it, and it’s horrible having to try to work an eight-hour shift constantly breathing smoke,” former Rivers Casino Portsmouth worker Juana Wilson told 13 News Now during the protest. “The casino dealers have to sit at a table sometimes with five smokers less than two feet away, blowing smoke right in their faces.”

CEASE argues that workers shouldn’t have to choose between keeping a casino job and dealing with the potential health impacts of second-hand smoke. The group wants Norfolk Casino to eliminate indoor smoking areas and create dedicated outdoor areas designed for smokers to use.

The arguments are similar to those made by CEASE earlier this year in New Jersey, when the group fought against casino owners and some other unions in an effort to end indoor smoking in Atlantic City casinos. While legal efforts to end smoking at the resorts have so far been unsuccessful, there are also legislative efforts underway to end the casino carveout to a New Jersey law that otherwise bans indoor smoking in public places.

Proponents of allowing smoking in casinos say that banning the practice will significantly impact the bottom line at the resorts, ultimately costing the jobs that workers are concerns about. However, CEASE and others have pointed to studies that suggest such bans won’t reduce revenues significantly.

“We’re not going to stop,” Wilson said. “We are fighting for everyone’s health.” 

Norfolk Casino Still Years Away from Opening

The Norfolk Casino groundbreaking came four years after casino gaming was first approved in the city of Norfolk. The ceremony included a performance by the Norfolk State University Spartan Legend marching ban, and had both city leaders and casino developers in attendance.

The Norfolk Casino will be build next to Harbor Park and an Amtrak train station. The plan is for a facility that includes around 1,500 slot machines, a 200-room hotel, and a wide variety of bars and restaurants. The casino is expected to be completed sometime in 2027.

Boyd Gaming is building the casino on behalf of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, its partner in the resort. 

(Image: courtesy of 13 News Now)