Norfolk Casino Secures Planning Commission Approval, But Smoking Issue Raised

Posted on: September 27, 2024, 11:38h. 

Last updated on: September 27, 2024, 11:38h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Norfolk casino project from Boyd Gaming and Virginia’s Pamunkey Indian Tribe gained approval from the city’s Planning Commission on Thursday in a 5-1 vote.

Norfolk casino Virginia smoking
The Norfolk Planning Commission reviews a casino plan during a meeting in September 2024. The city agency signed off on the $500 million project this week. (Image: Norfolk Planning Commission)

With the Planning Commission’s blessing, the Norfolk casino proposal moves to the City Council for final approval. The council is likely to vote on the development next month.

The Planning Commission’s endorsement follows approval from the Norfolk Architectural Review Board, which voted 6-1 to progress the bid earlier this month.

Boyd and its tribal partner want to build a 200-room hotel and casino with 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, and a sportsbook next to the city’s Minor League Baseball stadium.

Smoking Matter

Norfolk Planning Commission Chair Kevin Murphy was the lone dissenting vote during last night’s casino vote. Murphy took issue with the developer’s plan to allow indoor smoking on the gaming floor.

Before the Pamunkey Tribe brought on Boyd for the project that is to cost around $500 million, the proposal was to be a non-smoking establishment.

I was very disappointed to see you were planning to allow smoking when the previous operator had agreed not to allow smoking in the casino, and that was a great way to distinguish the Norfolk casino as a non-smoking casino,” Murphy said.

Virginia’s 2009 Clean Air Act prohibits the use of tobacco inside most workplaces and public settings. However, the statute provided indoor smoking immunities for off-track betting parlors and horse racetracks.

Though casinos weren’t legal at the time of the indoor air law’s passage, the 2020 gaming bill that authorized a casino in five designated cities grandfathered the forthcoming businesses into the smoking exemptions.

Boyd officials told planning commissioners that its casinos utilize state-of-the-art ventilation systems to regularly filter out bad air. The continuous movement of airflow, the casino reps said, removes most secondhand smoke from the gaming areas.

Murphy wasn’t convinced. At his request, the Planning Commission scheduled a discussion to incorporate a zoning proposal to ban smoking inside any Norfolk casino.

Casino smoking is allowed at nearby Rivers Casino Portsmouth. After opening in January 2023, Rivers received negative feedback from many guests who complained about the smell of smoke.

Though Rivers also has the latest ventilation systems, patrons complained strongly about the presence of secondhand smoke. The casino ultimately reconfigured its gaming floor from allowing smoking anywhere to only in designated areas.

Smoke-Free Favored By Many

Operating as a smoke-free casino could be in the Norfolk casino’s best interest, as many gamblers today prefer clean indoor air establishments.

In Pennsylvania, Parx Casino has been the top-grossing casino in recent years. Parx, which operates in the highly competitive Philadelphia metro, is 100% smoke-free. The casino has become the go-to casino for nonsmokers and even smokers who don’t wish to sit in secondhand smoke.

Last year, a poll commissioned by the American Cancer Society found that more than seven in 10 adults living in Pennsylvania and New Jersey said they’d be more likely to visit Atlantic City if the nine casinos there were smoke-free. The American Lung Association reports that the smoking rate among U.S. adults has dropped from 43% in the mid-1960s to below 12%.