Mohegan Pennsylvania has opened a new smoke-free lounge that includes slots from Aristocrat Gaming. The location of the new area is just inside the hotel entrance, where smoking is prohibited.
The smoking section of the main gaming floor is not affected. But, Mohegan Pennsylvania is one of the first properties, other than Parx Casino, to make a move in favor of non-smoking.
Smoking inside Pennsylvania casinos is a huge controversy. Allegheny County Democratic Rep. Dan Frankel has sponsored a bill to ban the behavior.
Mohegan Pennsylvania has been busy as of late, launching its own online casino brand in the Keystone State earlier this week.
Non-smoking lounge open to public at Mohegan PA
The new space at Mohegan Pennsylvania, inside the hotel entrance, does not come into contact with the 67,000 square-foot gaming floor, where the facility has 1,556 slots and 67 table games as of last month. Up to 50% of this area is allowed for smoking sections, which remains unaffected.
The lounge is much smaller, containing 55 Aristocrat slots across a 2,000 square-foot area. Some of game manufacturer most popular titles will be available, including:
- Dragon Link
- Lightning Link
- Buffalo
- Whisker Wheels
- Mo’ Mummy
- Triple Supreme Extreme
Tony Carlucci, President of Mohegan Pennsylvania, said in a press release:
“We are thrilled to launch the smoke-free Aristocrat Gaming Lounge as part of our commitment to providing exceptional and comfortable gaming experiences. Our collaboration with Aristocrat, an award-winning casino slot provider, has allowed us to offer a truly exciting gaming experience.”
The new lounge includes bespoke lighting and exclusive artwork. It also has state-of-the-art LCD video panels that keep guests informed about the latest Aristocrat content.
Mohegan Pennsylvania is not a smoke-free casino by any means. However, including a nonsmoking area not connected to the gaming floor is newsworthy.
Parx Casino’s two locations, in Bensalem and Shippensburg, are the only two properties that are voluntarily nonsmoking.
Every other Pennsylvania casino has brought back smoking since the end of pandemic restrictions and mask mandates in the Keystone State.
Update on PA casino smoking bill
Pennsylvania, along with neighboring state New Jersey, is in a battle to ban smoking inside casinos, not only for other guests, but for casino employees, too.
While New Jersey casino employees filed a lawsuit, Pennsylvania workers are allowing the legislative process to take its course.
The Protecting Workers from Secondhand Smoke Act is currently sitting on the House floor since it passed through Committee last November.
A vote to amend the bill among lawmakers was supposed to take place last week, but a representative from Frankel’s office told PlayPennsylvania it got pulled from the agenda “because some reps near Atlantic City raised concerns that we will need to work out to ensure that we have the votes.”
There is no timetable for the vote to be put back on the agenda, according to Franke’s office. Here are the rest of the steps for the bill to pass:
- Pass it on the House floor
- Send to Senate to go through above steps
- Send to Senate floor
Mohegan launches new online casino platform
Mohegan Pennsylvania has been making moves as of late. While the gaming floor gets a new enhancement, the property also announced the launch of its new online casino app earlier this week.
With news of its partner, Kindred, leaving the Pennsylvania market in June, Mohegan presented the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board with a plan to unveil its own platform.
Mohegan’s new PA online casino features 500 games that includes slots, table games and live dealer games. The plan is to increase its library to 700 games by the summer.
The casino is also focusing on offering an omnichannel experience that connects retail and online customers. The Momentum rewards program is available for players of both verticals, who could redeem points using Mohegan’s new smoke-free lounge.
Having a retail location, with a nonsmoking section, that syncs with its online experience could make Mohegan an interesting operator moving forward.
