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Woman Shot at Missouri Casino Garage, Fighting for Life in Hospital

A 27-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries after she was wounded Saturday in the parking garage at Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles.

Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles
Missouri’s Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles, pictured above. A woman was shot in a parking garage there. (Image: X)

The unnamed victim required surgery at a local hospital after she was shot in the neck at about 2:30 a.m., according to St. Louis, Mo. TV station KTVI.

St. Charles Police Department were alerted and rushed to the scene.

The victim, who was on the second floor of the parking facility, was able to reveal to officers the name of her shooter.

A short time later, Calvin Koong, 50, of St. Louis, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping, and armed criminal action.

He remained in custody at the St. Charles County Jail as of late Saturday. His bond was set at $500K.

Police said he was the victim’s boyfriend.

Victim in Parked Car

Based on casino surveillance video, the victim was inside a car owned by Koong, according to Missouri TV station KSDK.

She was in the driver’s seat and the driver’s door was opened. The woman apparently tried to leave the vehicle. Koong pushed the woman back into the car and the two got into what was described as a struggle, police said.

She eventually was able to flee from the car. But a few feet away she fell down on the garage pavement after getting wounded.

Good Samaritans rushed over to help her and provide emergency first aid. They also alerted authorities.

Koong ran away, but was blocked from leaving the area because of a concrete barrier in the parking garage.

An Ameristar Casino security guard soon arrived and spotted Koong.

Confessed to Shooting

The guard apprehended the suspect. He confessed to the guard, “I shot her. I shot her.” Koong also later confessed to police officers, KSDK reported.

Officers arrested Koong. They also searched the suspect’s car and found a firearm. It was seized as evidence.

The case was turned over to local prosecutors. If convicted, Koong could be sentenced to prison.

Police didn’t reveal a motive for the shooting.

The victim was rushed to the hospital’s emergency room. No word on the victim’s condition as of late Saturday. Details on her injuries weren’t immediately released by police.

Charges could be upgraded if the woman doesn’t survive.

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Arkansas Supreme Court to Soon Rule on Pope County Casino Case

The Arkansas Supreme Court is expected to soon render its decision regarding a referendum seeking to repeal a commercial casino license earmarked for Pope County.

Arkansas Supreme Court Pope casino
The Arkansas Supreme Court will soon decide if a referendum that would repeal a casino in Pope County will go before voters. Two tribes in Oklahoma are behind the legal fight. (Image: Supreme Court of Arkansas)

The state’s high court is slated to rule on an appeal from Cherokee Nation Entertainment challenging Issue 2. The referendum was certified in August by Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston for the Nov. 5 ballot.

The Arkansas Supreme Court agreed to expedite its review of the Cherokee allegations since Nov. 5 is fast approaching. Early voting in Missouri begins two weeks before Election Day.

The next round of briefs are due by Sept. 26, and the court says it will issue its ruling soon after reviewing each side’s claims.

Lawsuit Allegations

In June, Cherokee Nation Entertainment was deemed the winner of the Pope County casino license after it was the only bidder that met the Arkansas Racing Commission’s guidelines that submissions be accompanied by either a letter of support from Pope County Judge Ben Cross or a resolution of support from the Pope County Quorum Court. Pope County was designated for a commercial casino through a statewide referendum in 2018 that authorized gambling in four counties.

However, Pope County voters voted against the 2018 referendum. The county was one of only 11 among the 75 counties in the state that voted against the casino question.

Local Voters in Charge, a campaign funded by the Choctaw Nation, which is seeking to protect its tribal casinos in Eastern Oklahoma, wants to repeal the Pope casino concession. The campaign believes casinos should only be allowed in counties that want them.

The Cherokee Nation alleges that Local Voters in Charge violated a slew of canvassing laws in going about collecting signatures to put the gaming question before voters this fall. Through its own campaign, the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee, the Cherokees allege that Local Voters in Charge paid canvassers based on the number of signatures they collected, provided faulty registration addresses for workers, and didn’t properly certify canvassing captains.

Referendum Likely to Prevail 

Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Randy Wright, the special master appointed to the case to expedite the high court’s review, wrote in his “Report and Findings of Fact” based on the preliminary briefs that much of the plaintiff’s allegations are meritless.

Wright’s review concluded that less than 6,000 signatures that Thurston’s office certified should be disqualified because of canvassing errors. That still leaves the total number of valid signatures at 110,234 — far more than the 90,704 needed to place the referendum on the 2024 ballot.

If the referendum is defeated or rejected by the Arkansas Supreme Court, Cherokee Nation Entertainment would be cleared to proceed with its $300 million project in Russellville called Legends Resort & Casino.

The casino plan calls for a gaming floor measuring 50,000 square feet with 1,200 slot machines, 32 live dealer table games, and a sportsbook. A 200-room hotel would be complemented by several restaurants and bars, 15,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, a resort pool, and an outdoor music venue.

Recent polling reveals that just 42% of likely voters said they’ll vote in favor of Issue 2, while 28% said they would vote against it and 30% were undecided.

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Norfolk Casino to Allow Indoor Tobacco Smoking, Retain Amtrak Parking

The developers behind the Norfolk casino project say indoor smoking will be allowed in designated areas of the gaming floor. The group has also pledged to retain free parking for Amtrak train passengers.

Norfolk casino Amtrak Virginia
The developers of the Norfolk casino say free parking for Amtrak passengers will remain once the resort is completed. The casino will also allow indoor smoking in certain areas. (Image: Amtrak)

Details about the reworked Norfolk casino continue to come to light. The biggest development of late is that the Pamunkey Indian Tribe has attracted Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming to co-develop the resort.

The federally recognized tribe was previously partnered with Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough for a tribal casino about 60 air miles north of Norfolk on sovereign land. After Virginia legalized casinos in five cities in 2020, with Norfolk among the designations, city officials struck a deal with the tribe for it to develop a commercial casino in the Hampton Roads city instead of a tribal undertaking.

Yarbrough has no experience building a casino but instead made his vast wealth through manufacturing gaming machines tailored for tribal venues. Yarbrough recently agreed to sell his 80% stake in the gaming partnership with the Pamunkey Tribe to Boyd.

Resort Details

Last week, the Norfolk City Council signed off on the amended casino agreement to include Boyd and remove Yarbrough. Boyd will now help the tribe raise capital to construct what’s expected to be an investment of more than $500 million to open a casino resort along the Elizabeth River adjacent to the city’s Harbor Park Minor League Baseball stadium.

The casino consortium has agreed to retain free parking for Amtrak customers. The resort’s 1,300-space parking garage will designate a minimum of 103 spaces for Amtrak riders.

During construction, Boyd and the tribe have also committed to providing a shuttle service for ticketed Amtrak passengers from a temporary parking area that’s yet to be determined.

The Norfolk Amtrak station is located just south of Interstate 264 on the eastern edge of the baseball stadium’s parking lot. The casino’s development agreement with the city will see Boyd and the Pamunkey Tribe, operating as Golden Eagle Consulting II, LLC, acquire a little more than eight acres of the city-owned parking lot for $10 million.

The original plan was to purchase 13.5 acres but the resort site shrunk after the federal and state governments announced an infrastructure plan that will include constructing a 17-foot-high seawall along the riverbank. The project will result in reduced land.

Smoking Allowed

Virginia’s 2009 Clean Air Act banned indoor smoking in most workplaces and public settings. But, the statute provides exemptions for parimutuel racetracks and off-track betting parlors. The 2020 commercial gaming law grandfathered casinos into the smoking loophole, too.

As a result, casinos in Virginia can allow smoking anywhere. Boyd reps say smoking will be allowed in the forthcoming Norfolk casino.

We want to create an enjoyable environment for everyone, smokers and nonsmokers,” said Uri Clinton, executive vice president of Boyd Gaming. “Today’s technology allows for that to happen.”

The latest Norfolk casino blueprint suggests utilizing “best-in-class ventilation systems” to keep as much of the secondhand smoke out of supposedly nonsmoking areas. The CDC, however, says the only way to adequately protect casino workers and guests from secondhand smoke is to implement a floorwide smoke-free policy.

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UAW to Withdraw from AFL/CIO After Court Ruling on Atlantic City Casino Smoking

New-Jersey-Dealers-Union-Withdraws-from-AFLCIO-Over-Casino-Smoking-DecisionThe fallout from a court ruling allowing indoor smoking in Atlantic City casinos took a new turn on Wednesday, with the United Auto Workers (UAW) announcing plans to withdraw from New Jersey’s AFL-CIO. This decision comes after other unions, including Local 54 of UNITE HERE, supported the continuation of indoor smoking, much to the dismay of the UAW.

During a joint press conference held by Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), UAW Region 9 Director Dan Vicente expressed frustration over the court’s ruling, which dismissed a lawsuit aimed at halting indoor smoking in casinos. The group, which represents table game dealers and casino workers opposed to indoor smoking, had argued for an injunction based on public health concerns.

Union Conflict Over Smoking Legislation

The UAW’s decision to withdraw stems from their dissatisfaction with other unions that support the smoking exemption. Local 54 of UNITE HERE, representing casino employees in non-dealing roles, supports a compromise backed by the Casino Association of New Jersey, which allows smoking on 25% of the gaming floor but makes working in smoking areas voluntary.

Local 54 filed a brief opposing the lawsuit seeking to end the smoking exemption, leading to growing tension within the union community. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy previously stated he would sign any bill that bans indoor smoking at casinos, but the legislature has yet to take up the issue.

Commenting that he will be pulling the UAW out of the AFL-CIO of New Jersey over this issue which he described as “moral, health, and safety issue”, Vicente announced as follows:

“I cannot express how furious our institution is at the Jersey state-level AFL and the other unions that filed an injunction status against us.”

The New Jersey Superior Court ruling on Friday, which supported the current exception in the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act, allows casinos to maintain smoking on 25% of their gaming floors. The UAW had filed the lawsuit, arguing that workers had a constitutional right to breathe smoke-free air, but the judge ruled against this claim, stating that the “right to safety” was not well-established.

Moving Forward Amid Tensions

While Vicente remains determined to pursue the case at the state’s highest court, he acknowledged that legislative options are also being explored.

“We plan to escalate the situation in New Jersey. But understanding that this is an election year, we have a lot of national coverage right now in the union. … We plan to try to put as much pressure on the legislature as we can.”

The UAW’s decision to withdraw from the state AFL-CIO chapter marks a significant escalation in the fight against indoor smoking at Atlantic City casinos, with no resolution yet in sight.

Smoking Ban Efforts Continue

Despite the court ruling, efforts to pass a smoking ban continue. State Senator Joe Vitale, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, said he will push the bill to the Senate floor.

“This has been an effort over the years to try to right this wrong, and we’re getting closer and closer. We’re clearly very disappointed in the judge’s ruling. I don’t know why it is that casino workers can’t have an expectation of safety… I think it’s certainly wrong, and anyone who is fair-minded, I think, agrees.”

CEASE plans to intensify its campaign to raise awareness of the health risks casino workers face. Cynthia Hallett, president of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANS), said that CEASE will launch a digital media blitz, including a campaign called “Kids of CEASE,” which will air in key New Jersey districts.

SOURCE:

“UAW to pull out of AFL-CIO over New Jersey casino smoking loophole” by P. Kenneth Burns, whyy.org, September 4, 2024.

“New Jersey’s dealers’ union pulling out of Atlantic City after smoking decision” by Frenk Legato, igamingbusiness.com, September 4, 2024.

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Atlantic City Casino Smoking to Remain, as New Jersey Judge Dismisses Lawsuit

Atlantic City casino smoking will remain after a judge in New Jersey dismissed a lawsuit challenging the state’s permittance of tobacco use on the gaming floors.

Atlantic City casino smoking New Jersey
A gambler plays a slot machine while smoking a cigarette at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on Nov. 29, 2023. A New Jersey judge has ruled that casino smoking does not violate protections afforded to workers under the New Jersey Constitution. (Image: AP)

New Jersey’s 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act banned indoor tobacco use in most indoor places other than private residences. The law provided some exemptions, with licensed casinos in Atlantic City being allowed to designate up to 25% of their gaming areas for tobacco use.

The United Auto Workers, which represents table game dealers, workers who are most exposed to secondhand smoke, and CEASE — Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects — challenged the 2006 law on the grounds that casino workers’ rights to personal health safety protections under the New Jersey Constitution were being violated. New Jersey Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels disagreed in dismissing the claim.

“Because of the publicly known risks of secondhand smoke, that smoking has never been banned in casinos except for a short period during COVID-19, that the Smoke-Free Air Act’s exceptions only affect a few industries, and that the Smoke-Free Air Act does not hinder or affect a person’s ability to seek work in a smoke-free environment, it cannot be said that the New Jersey Legislature’s actions in providing exceptions to the Smoke-Free Air Act restricts the casino workers’ right to pursue safety under the New Jersey Constitution,” Bartels wrote in his opinion published Friday.

Each of the nine casinos in Atlantic City takes advantage of its smoking allowance. Critics say smoke knows no boundaries and dangerous, toxic secondhand smoke permeates the casino areas.

Odds Favor Appeal 

Attorney Nancy Erika Smith argued on behalf of CEASE and the UAW. She said an appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court is forthcoming.

While the rest of the nation moves away from poisoning workers for profits, New Jersey shames itself,” Smith said. “As long as the governor, the legislature, and the courts allow the extremely rich casino industry to poison its workers, we will continue our fight.”

CEASE cofounder Lamont White said the “fight is far from over.” White hopes the court ruling will bring more enthusiasm to Trenton for state lawmakers to support bipartisan legislation to amend the Smoke-Free Air Act to rescind the casino smoking exemption.

Legislation last year in each legislative chamber had more than enough cosponsor support to force the casinos to go smoke-free. But Democratic leadership reportedly stalled the measures because of the November 2023 election where all 120 seats were on the ballot.

However, after retaining their majority in both chambers, the smoking bills still didn’t progress. Some of the 2023 support was subsequently lost after the casino industry, as well as a union that represents casino workers in nongaming roles, said a smoking ban would cost thousands of jobs and possibly result in a casino closing. 

Casinos Celebrate

For now, Bartels’ ruling is a win for the nine Atlantic City casinos. The retaining of smoking comes as Atlantic City’s casinos last week revealed that their operating profits slid nearly 2% in the second quarter despite increased revenue.

We are gratified by the court’s decision to dismiss the plaintiff’s complaint and deny its attempt to change the Smoke-Free Air Act outside of the legislative process,” said Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts Casino and the Casino Association of New Jersey. “We look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders towards a solution that addresses the health concerns of our employees, while also protecting the collective interest and well-being of the entire Atlantic City workforce.”

Commercial casinos/racinos operate in 28 states. Seventeen allow indoor smoking.

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