Royal Caribbean Cruiseline has added a new non-smoking casino to appeal to non-smokers and broaden its gaming appeal while on the sea. The change has not been formally announced; however, plans have been spotted on the official blog.
Oasis Class and Icon Class Royal Caribbean ships now offer a smaller, non-smoking casino floor, which is said to be trialled before it arrives on the flagship Wonder of the Seas vessels (which now include high-roller rooms).
It was supposed to sail out of China, and when it moved out to the US, these high-roller rooms were inadvertently turned into non-smoking areas. It could be used as an experiment to enforce on the leading vessels, such as has been debated with the upcoming Star of the Seas cruise ship, which is expected to enter service on August 31, 2025.
The cruise liner has faced the same problems that many land-based casinos have in recent years, with calls to provide non-smoking table games and slots to try and attract more people. However, there are concerns that removing smoking from the game floors can alienate existing gamblers.
A major problem faced by cruise liners such as Royal Caribbean (and its rivals, such as Carnival Cruise Line) is the lack of space compared to land-based casino offerings. The floors are significantly smaller than what you will find from leading venues in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, with more limited ventilation options, making smoking more of an isolated issue when aboard the ships.
As a rule, Royal Caribbean only allows smoking on its ships for active gamblers, but this has been difficult to prove and enforce, given the number of people gaming through its services. The new smoke-free casino floor is said to help alleviate this issue.
Michael Bayley, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said: “The dilemma is that there are many people who do want to smoke in the casino,” he said. “I know that’s not a popular response, but it’s the truth. I’m not judging anyone or anything, but there’s a large group of people who do want to smoke in the casino.”
Royal Caribbean has been trying to ban smoking aboard its vessels since 2022, but the response has been challenging until now. “I would say every couple of years we do test this, and we take one or two or three ships and we ban smoking in the casino. And the result is less people go in the casino, and that’s the reality of it.” Fewer people are apparently gaming as a result of attempting to enforce a smoking ban.
In world news, gambling operators in the UK now have to set a deposit limit for first-time players.
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