The smoking policy at Iowa casinos may soon change, as a bill to require all 19 gaming establishments in the state to adopt a completely smoke-free environment moves forward in Des Moines. 

House Study Bill 148 was presented on February 11 by Representatives Shannon Lundgren (R-Peosta) and Sami Scheetz (D-Cedar Rapids). If approved and signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), Iowa's Smokefree Air Act from 2008 would be modified to remove the indoor tobacco use exemption for establishments with slot machines. 

On Tuesday, the Iowa House Commerce Committee supported HSB 148 with a vote of 19-3. The anti-smoking legislation now advances to the complete House floor for additional review. 

Gambling Establishments Are Not for Children 

Earlier this month, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) approved a $275 million casino initiative in Cedar Rapids. The initial increase in casino licenses in many years will introduce the state’s second-largest city to the gaming sector with Cedar Crossing Casino. 

Scheetz, representing Cedar Rapids, is hopeful that the developers will opt to run a clean indoor air initiative. However, at this point in time, the initiative is to permit tobacco usage on the gaming floor. HSB 148 would compel the casino to prohibit indoor smoking of cigarettes and cigars.

"This is great for protecting Iowa workers,” Scheetz declared.

Penn Entertainment, the operator of Ameristar in Council Bluffs, is against the smoke-free initiative. Penn lobbyist Jake Highfill recently stated that casinos are intended for adults who can choose if they want to be in an environment where secondhand smoke is present.

"They are all adults. Casinos are 21 and over,” Highfill said. “There is no kid section at a casino. The gaming floors where we can legally smoke are all adults making adult decisions.”

Other casino operators likewise oppose a ban on smoking. Gaming representatives argue that a ban on tobacco would drive smokers who gamble to either tribal casinos or commercial casinos in nearby Missouri, where smoking indoors is still allowed. Wisconsin and Minnesota tribal casinos also permit cigarettes and cigars. 

The Iowa Gaming Association claims that a smoking ban in casinos would lead to job losses and decrease the state’s yearly gaming tax revenue, which was nearly $400 million last year. 

The only smoke-free casino in Iowa is Prairie Flower, located in Carter Lake and operated by the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Carter Lake is a distinct exclave encircled by Nebraska and the Missouri River. 

Iowa Tobacco Usage Statistics 

The Iowa Department of Public Health indicates that approximately 15% of adults in the state use tobacco. That is nearly 1% above the national average. Approximately 4% of Iowa high school students indicated that they smoke cigarettes at least monthly. 

Smoking indoors is banned in all government and private workplaces, schools, childcare centers, restaurants, bars, retail shops, and recreational facilities. 

Only “the gaming area of an establishment” that possesses a casino license from the IRGC is permitted to allow tobacco smoking. Nearby bars, eateries, and additional establishments should be free of smoke.