Mardi Gras Casino & Resort to Create Indoor Smoking Area at Cross Lanes

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, has submitted a proposal to create an indoor smoking area at their establishment, according to a statement from Delaware North.

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort officials attended the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department’s Board of Health meeting

According to Lalena Price, Director of Marketing and Communications with the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, officials with Mardi Gras came to their Board of Health meeting in September to pitch the idea.

Price said there was no official ask from the casino and no action was taken. However, the board asked the health department’s leadership to get more information on indoor smoking at casinos before their next meeting. She said this will be on Nov. 21.

In a statement from Delaware North, a New York-based hospitality company that owns Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, they said they have submitted a proposal to create this area.

“Our proposal outlines the creation of a separate space that ensures the comfort and safety of both smokers and non-smokers. We look forward to collaborating with the Kanawha County Health Commission on this project,” the statement said.

Delaware North plans to establish a separate space for smokers and non-smokers to keep the resort competitive

Delaware North said they want to pursue this business plan to keep the casino and resort competitive, as other states have different rules when it comes to smoking inside.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the 22 states and U.S. territories that allow casino gambling, four states (Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania) allow for designated smoking areas, and 11 jurisdictions (Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Washington), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands require them to be smokefree.

Casino workers in Kansas are also pushing for a smoking ban.

According to the Mardi Gras Casino & Resort website, Delaware North is “one of the most innovative gaming operators in the country, creating regional casino destinations with video gaming machines, table games, poker rooms, hotels, restaurants, lounges, sports bars and retail shops. We also operate route gaming, online social casinos and retail and online/mobile sports betting.”

The Mardi Gras Hotel also features 150 rooms. In fact, a standard room has two queen-sized beds, a 40-inch TV, chair with ottoman, spacious work desk, two telephones, a clock radio with iPod dock, and ironing tools.