Maryland Casino Revenue Stirs Anti-Smoking Groups into Action
Maryland's casinos posted an all-time best month in May and a solid performance in June. Anti-smoking groups are concerned about the fact that the casinos do not allow guests to smoke on the gaming floors.
Six casinos in Maryland registered gross gaming revenue of $161.5 million in June. Five of them reported higher revenues now than the comparable period two years ago. MGM National Harbor topped the list with a GGR of $63.7 million. Live! Casino & Hotel came second with $58.4 million, Ocean Downs, Rocky Gap and Hollywood Perryville each generated double-digit growth on pre-pandemic levels. Horseshoe Baltimore's GBR was down 8.9% compared to June 2019.
The ANR president wants casinos to make smoking ban permanent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Star-Ledger newspaper in New York supports the ANr's stance. ANRs is also working to ban smoking in Nevada casinos. Park MGM introduced a smoke-free casino policy last fall. Resorts World Las Vegas allows smoking inside the casino only.
Maryland Casino Revenue Stirs Anti-Smoking Groups into Action. Major League Baseball has been asking for tobacco-free policies.