Opponents of smoking in casinos try to enlist shareholders of gambling companies in non-smoking push

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Add investors to the list of people that opponents of smoking in casinos are enlisting in hopes of banning the practice. A national non-smoking group and a Michigan health system have placed shareholder proposals on the agenda of annual meetings for two major gambling companies and are likely to add a third. The measures would ask Boyd Gaming, Bally’s Corporation and Caesars Entertainment to study potential financial benefits of going smoke-free at their casino properties. The companies oppose the measure, saying smoking bans will place them at a competitive disadvantage, and that the shareholder proposals seek to micromanage the companies.