We are planning a quick weekend trip to LV in May. Haven't been there in a while and are hoping there is a non-smoking casino. Are there any and are they really non-smoking? Thanks, Julie

Call the Westin Casuarina and check. I've heard that the hotel is totally nonsmoking so perhaps the casino is as well? It's two blocks off the strip, behind Harrahs, near Ballys, and walkable.

I actually called the visitors bureau and was told there are no completely non-smoking casinos. Now my best hope is non-smoking sections for Let It Ride and Roulette.

Unfortunately, there isn't a non-smoking casino...yet. I'd bet that it will happen eventually.

Stick to the bigger properties on the Strip. They have REALLY good air purification systems that recirculate that air a LOT, and even from a non-smoker, I don't smell like smoke after spending time in the casinos. The smaller and off-Strip places don't have as good of air systems, and you will smell like smoke there. Also, a lot of casinos now have non-smoking tables. You have to look for them on the table signs, but many of them are there.

I go to Vegas twice a year and always stay at the Mirage. Smoke does bother me, but it doesn't there unless I sit right next to someone smoking. They usually have a couple of non-smoking blackjack tables that we sit at. Like someone else said, stick with the bigger casinos and you'll be much better off.

I was wondering about air purification. We've neved stayed downtown and would like to stay at the Golden Nugget. I know they just did a remodel but can anyone comment on their air purification?

I just returned from Vegas and the larger casino/hotels (Venetian/Mirage/NYNY/MGM) did not bother me to be in as their air systems were great and I am very sensative to smoke. We did notice at South Pointe that the air system there was not as good and the smell of smoke was very noticable.

I can't comment on the Golden Nugget specifically, but we did wander in and out of some of the downtown casinos and some of them were very smoking.

The downtown casinos tend to be very smoky. The only times I have had issues with smoke on the Strip is when sitting at a table with someone smoking. There are non-smoking tables and if there is no one smoking at a table you can ask that it be made a non-smoking table (and have them put the little no smoking plaque up). The pit boss will usually oblige you (especially if other people at the table concur with your request).

The Palazzo is supposed to be non-smoking. There's an article about this http://govegas.about.com/od/lasvegas.../a/smoking.htm

We're staying there next month. I just hope the hotel is finished for the most part by then.

HI jam....while I do not concur that the air purification makes the smoke bearable, what I have noticed is the dramatic difference between going when it is cool outside versus the heat of summer. My hypothesis is that the hotter it is, the more often they have to avoid taking fresh air into their AC, thus recirculating the already cooled, albeit smokey, air. When the outdoor temp is cooler, the system can take in more outdoor air w/o needing to compromise the cooling....now mind you, this is only a guess, but it is based on having noticed that an equally crowded casino is noticeably more smokey smelling in August than it is in February.

I just stayed at the Westin Casuarina in December and even though there are no smoking signs everywhere, people were smoking everywhere and there were ashtrays everywhere.

The bigger newer casinos have state of the art ventilation systems and you will not even notice the smoke.

Try The Bellagio, The Wynn, The Venetian and the other upscale casinos. The ones downtown were smokey.

The MGM Signature is a completely nonsmoking hotel. If you rent a room with a balcony, you even have fresh air! It's attached to the MGM Grand, which isn't smoky.

Jam35- We stayed at the Golden Nugget last June. For the most part the smoke didn't bother me there. I think they have decent air purification. Main Street Station was okay also. Binions and the Plaza were pretty smoky. Hope this helps. FYI, The pool at the GN is great now. It surrounds a shark tank, with a slide down the middle.

Years ago a casino went non-smoking and soon went belly-up, so there's a fear in Vegas associated with it. Don't expect it to happen anytime soon.
Mirage has a good reputation for clean air in the casino. Bellagio has a non-smoking poker room and some non-smoking tables. Harrah's has a small 1000 sq ft slot room that is non-smoking.

Newer casinos also have higher ceilings and that makes a huge difference in the air quality.
The Bellagio was always halfway comfortable for us, although you end up stinking of smoke every night anyway.
Our rooms were non-smoking, I believe they have non-smoking floors.. but that was always pleasure, to walk into a clean smelling room.
Watch out for casinos like the Golden Nugget..air so thick with smoke that you have to feel your way out..

Vegas, seems to be living in the past regarding it's smoking policies. Gone are the days when everyone smoked and were not aware of the health risks, not only to themselves, but to everyone else around them, not to mention the discomfort i.e. nasty taste, sore throat, smelly hair and clothes etc.
We went to Vegas 2 years ago and was amazed at the amount of smoking in the casinos. Maybe people should complain and ask for completely separate areas, separated by doors that can be closed.

I have to beg to differ with those who say the big casinos air handling systems are good. I just got back. We stayed in the Signature, which was very very nice. But every time we walked to the strip it had to be through the mall and casino of the MGM Grand, and every day my clothes and hair were noticeably stinky! DH was put off by it, and he indulges in the odd bummed smoke! Interestingly a couple of the MGM Grand restaurants, though non-smoking, are right in the casino with no barriers to the smoking.

The two negative aspects of this, my first trip to Vegas, were the smoking and the nonexistent recycling. You could house a homeless person for a week in Victoria on the bottles and cans sitting trashed in a block on the strip.

That said, it was not as bad as in the days when everyone smoked. We were not gambling, and I did note that some of the high-stakes rooms were non-smoking.

And there are plenty of cool other things that balance off the stinkiness!

My experience exactly, Carol.....I found the MGM to be one of the worst for air quality re: smoke and was very surprised that someone above had complimented it.

Vegas doesn't ban smoking because a high percentage of gamblers smoke.