Casino news from http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/
Smoking just naturally seems to go along with laying hands on a slot machine, an unhealthy habit of nervously puffing while looking at the screen, hoping the symbols line up for a payout.
But in a sign of a changing Pahrump, officials at the Saddle West Hotel and Casino announced this month a non-smoking area in the casino, as part of a renovation after the recent change of ownership.
Aces High Management, with majority owner, Las Vegas developer Anthony Marnell III and minority owner Sher Gaming, took over the Saddle West June 1 from longtime Pahrump owners Dennis and Steve Duesing and the Shinehouse Family Trust.
The former sports book area has been moved out of a rear section of the casino and converted into the non-smoking area. It has been renovated with new fixtures and slot machines.
"This room has a physical separation from the rest of the casino that afforded us the opportunity to look at Pahrump's first non-smoking casino area," Saddle West Operations Director Ryley Young said. "It's certainly a change for some people to come into a non-smoking area."
During a tour of the casino, a gambler was puffing away on a cigarette while playing a slot machine right next to the sign marking the entrance to the non-smoking area. Young admitted there have been a few complaints, but mostly the change has met with approval.
"Certainly it's an adjustment for some people, but so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive," he said. "The national average is 75 to 80 percent of the population is non-smoking. We just want to be able to take care of both customers."
A number of restaurants in Las Vegas casinos already have non-smoking areas, Young said. The non-smoking area in the Saddle West comprises a little less than a third of the total gaming area.
"That's one of the things we struggled with for years is the air quality," Young said.
The improvements to the casino will include better air circulation for the smoking area as well as when the air outside is below a certain temperature, he said.
"It'll be bringing the fresh air in and recycling the air so we get the smoke out of the building," Young said. "Because the building has been added onto so many years with the low ceilings, there's a problem with the smoke."
The improvements are part of Phase I of the Saddle West remodeling project. Late last week tarp was covering an area just to the left as patrons entered the entrance from the parking lot. A look inside showed it has been almost completely gutted. The new owners are replacing old carpet, applying a fresh coat of paint, installing new ceiling tiles, even putting new cement on the columns.
"Phase I of the remodel we'll be completing in October with everything we're planning," Young said.
The sports book is being relocated to near where the Players Club has been situated, closer to the bar, which will also be remodeled. Young said the bar will include new televisions, including plasma TVs, and a Sunday NFL package where customers can see all the games. There will be new opportunities for players to earn complimentary deals, he said.
The non-smoking area also has some new slot machines, he said.
"We've been behind the curve on the latest and greatest machines, so we're bringing in 100 new machines," Young said.
The non-smoking trend could extend to table games as well, he said.
"We'll probably experiment with one or two of the blackjack tables being non-smoking as well," Young said.
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