Valentine says the change will motivate some to head to casinos in neighboring states where they can smoke. “If I go to the casino to play and have a beer, I want to have a cigarette too when I’m drinking my beer,” says Diana Valentine. “Because I don’t smoke myself, I would be in favor of that,” says Mac Johnston, visiting Cherokee from Florida. People seem pleased, the workforce is very pleased that work there and the customer base.” Bradley says Of course, North Carolina bans smoking in restaurants. She says making the casino smoke-free follows a trend. Bradley says 85% of our population is now non-smoking and says research at the casino shows 75% of patrons prefer non-smoking facilities. “There’s over 16 million Americans a year who live with a smoking-related illness,” she says.Īnd she says many deaths are attributed to smoking. “From a public health perspective, obviously we are very excited and happy about that vote,” says Vickie Bradley, Cherokee secretary of Public Health and Human Services.īradley says she knows the research about smoking.ĪLCOHOL SALES: STEPS CHEROKEE BUSINESSES WILL HAVE TO TAKE TO SERVE UP MORE SPIRITS

And now, with the vote of Tribal Council, that smoking ban will become permanent. A couple months later when the casinos re-opened, a temporary smoking ban was put in place per COVID-19 safety protocols. Up until the pandemic shut things down in March of 2020, Harrah’s casinos in Cherokee and Murphy allowed smoking inside.

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