Las Vegas opening from COVID-19 with a smoking ban? Don’t count on it – USA TODAY

Yes, dice will roll, cards will be dealt and slot machines will beckon. But poker rooms? Closed. Tourists returning to Las Vegas will see changes since gambling stopped in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. (May 22) AP Entertainment

LAS VEGAS As resortsprepare to reopen in the era of COVID-19, it's a burning question:Shouldsmoking be banned inside Las Vegascasinos?

The Las Vegas Strip has long been a destination for people looking to get away from the rules of home, gamble into the night and freely puffcigarettesindoors, reports the Reno Gazette Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY Network..

In the wake of the deadlyand contagious coronavirus respiratory illness that's killed more than 100,000 people across the country, smoking inside casinos has resurfaced as a make-or-break detail for tourists planning post-pandemic vacations.

"I personally will never step foot in a casino again if they allow people to continue to smoke while claiming they are doing everything they can to protect people's health," Debbie Ellis wrote in an emailto Nevada's Gaming Control Board.

"This is just common sense," wrote Susan Lang. "Smoking must be banned on the casino floor. Speak to any health official. They would agree."

But banning smoking in Nevada casinos is not up to gaming authorities.

Lighting upat card tables and slot machines is protected by Nevada law.

How does coronavirus enter the body, and why does it become fatal for some compared to just a cough or fever for others? USA TODAY

Though the Silver StatelaunchedtheNevadaClean Indoor Air Act in 2006, the lawdoesn't quite apply to The Strip.

The law outlines where people can smoke indoors inNevada, as opposed to where they can't andthe list where smoking is acceptable is a long one:

Banning smoking in casinos is a legislative issue that would have to be addressed when statelawmakers meetagain in 2021, accordingto Nevada Chief Deputy Attorney General Darlene Caruso.

"The legislature has specifically stated that smoking is not prohibited in casinos, and the statute even includes a provision that states any regulation inconsistent with that would be null and void," Caruso said at the Gaming Control Board's Tuesday meeting."The boards hands are tied."

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As hotel-casinos prepare to open on The Strip June 4, the Nevada Resort Association contends all properties are in full compliance with theNevada Clean Indoor Air Act.

"Our members have always placed a high priority on air quality and have invested heavily in advanced technology throughout their properties that circulates fresh air and removes smoke and odors," theresortassociation said in a statement. "They have reviewed their HVAC systems and are enacting additional measures to maximize the exchange of fresh air and are increasing the frequency of air filter replacement and system cleaning."

Dr. Meilan Han, a pulmonary specialist at Michigan Medicineand professor at the University of Michigan, told USA TODAYthat while most of the research about the novel coronavirus suggests older people are more likely to be hospitalized and die of the disease, there are other factors that put younger people at risk.

"People have been hypothesizing as to what some of the risk factors might be. We don't have a lot of published data from the U.S., so we're looking to the little bits of published data that are coming out of China,"Han said."What they're seeing is that one of the risk factors ...does appear to be smoking."

One report suggests that smokers have a 14-times higher risk of severe illness with a COVID-19 infection than nonsmokers, she said.

"We don't have a lot of data on vaping right now, but there is reason topotentially hypothesize that things that cause lung inflammation like smoking, like vaping might increase the risk for more severe disease," she said.

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Nevada casino executives have long arguedthat a casino smoking ban would derailgaming in the Silver State, pointingto losses of gaming revenue in Atlantic City, Delaware and Illinois, where such bans have siphoned the smoke out ofcasinos and gaming establishments.

"Historically, other jurisdictions that have banned smoking in casinos have seen revenues fall by about 15% in the short term," said University of Nevada, Las Vegas gambling expert and author David Schwartz.

A study commissioned by the Las Vegas and Reno-Sparks chambers of commerce in the late 1990s predicted dire consequences if smoking becamebanned in casinos, according to the Associated Press.

Gamblers would leave tables for 12 minutes every hour to light up, the study said.Those smoke breaks would add up to significantlosses:

But it may soon be imperative to pushrevenue projections aside and reconsider their support of smoking, according to Schwartz.

"I can't speak to the science around whether smoking is a factor in the spread of infectious disease, but to the extent that visitors may believe that it is a factor, casinos may want to reconsider whetherthey allow smoking indoors," Schwartz said in an email.

"Coming back from COVID-19, both casino patrons and employees may have increased concerns about the presence of cigarette smoke," he said."Given that the customer experience will be very different when casinos reopen, this may be an ideal time for Nevada gaming operators to consider changing where they allow smoking on their properties."

Contributing: USA TODAY, Associated Press.

Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network.

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