The Problem with Partial Smoking Bans

Since partial bans on smoking in NSW licensed premises have been enforced, gaming areas are often the only indoor areas where smoking is permitted. This is clearly harmful to the health of people who gamble.

It is also a problem for people who do not gamble, but smoke, as their risk of gambling problematically increases. If they choose to smoke indoors (in the gaming area) they are exposed to gambling opportunities they would not normally have. It does seem likely that people going into gaming areas to smoke may readily put some spare cash in a machine while they are there.

It seems that smoking and gambling together increase gambling. Todd Harper from Quit, a Victorian smoking and health programme has written an article in the journal, Tobacco Control. He says that the gambling industry is well informed of the links between smoking and poker machines. He says that a report commissioned by the industry states that after smoking bans were legislated in Victoria, smokers were just as likely to go to gambling venues. However they spent less time and money on poker machines than they did before the bans. He says the industry report also say there are “ritual links between smoking and gambling” and that “smoking helps the individual to dissociate and lower their inhibitions associated with gambling”.

What this means is that it is in each gambling venue’s interest to have the smoking area as the poker machine area and that they are aware that they can benefit from this. They can benefit through increased turnover because of the increased time and money spent on gambling while smoking, and also the additional gambling by smokers, who do not already gamble.

It also means that venues that designate the gambling area as the only smoking area ignore both the increased risk of problematic gambling and the risks caused by smoking. The lure of increased profits has outweighed the human cost of their decisions. Many people are appalled at this violation of human rights.

Some feedback from people who are recovering from gambling problems, who do smoke, is that they are choosing to attend clubs where they can smoke away from poker machines. If more smokers, who do not wish to play poker machines, were to actually boycott clubs where they are designated to smoke in poker machine areas clubs may experience less overall patronage. If this lowered patronage led to lowered turnover clubs may be forced to move their designated smoking areas away from poker machines.

Other smokers who are recovering from gambling problems, who patronise venues where the designated smoking area is not the poker machine area, say they are then confronted by constant barrage of Keno games. Keno is still a form of gambling and still creates problems. Whether a smoker or non-smoker it is difficult to attend a club in NSW and not be confronted by some form of gambling. Venues would be more responsible if they provided areas in gambling venues that were free from any type of gambling, including Keno.

The Queensland Government, according to their web site, is also phasing in smoking bans in gaming venues. Their legislated 3-stage process prevents venues from manipulating gambling behaviour by designating gaming areas as the only indoor smoking space. It requires that one third, two thirds and subsequently 100% of both indoor areas and poker machine areas must be smoke free. With their legislation they have ensured equal rights by ensuring that people, who gamble but don’t smoke, can gamble in smoke free environment, and that non gambling smokers do not have to smoke near poker machines if they choose to smoke indoors.

In spite of the equality in Qld the best solution to the problems associated with partial smoking bans in NSW and that is to follow the Smoke Free Australia Coalition’s advice and legislate for total smoking bans in licensed premises (see p3).

Julie Roberts

Problem Gambling Counsellor

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