Speaking to the Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force on Tuesday, Caesars Entertainment president and CEO Mark Frissora 'said Harrah's lost about $70 million in revenue during the two years following the start of the smoking ban in New Orleans.' But when the ban went into effect in April 2015, no such exception was granted.Īs the ban approaches its second anniversary, those representing Harrah's this week noted the effect the ban has had on the performance of Harrah's New Orleans, reports The Times-Picayune and. Harrah's had requested the council allow them an exception, giving them permission to maintain a separate smoking section on the gaming floor. Two years ago in this space we reported on the New Orleans City Council having voted unanimously in favor of instituting a smoking ban in the city's bars, restaurants and other establishments, including casinos.Īt the time Harrah's New Orleans and its owners Caesars Entertainment expressed objections to the ban, fearing as much as a 20 percent decline in revenue would result from it.
Caesars Links Smoking Ban to Revenue Decrease at Harrah's New Orleans
In this week's installment of Inside Gaming, Caesars thinks the New Orleans smoking ban has negatively affected revenue at the Harrah's property, Forbes profiles a friend of Donald Trump and speculates about the president's interest in investing in a new Vegas casino, and the Golden Nugget's owner is glad Michigan's NCAA run is finally over.
