NORFOLK, Va. — After years in the making, the Norfolk Casino broke ground on Wednesday morning.
This is a development News 3 has been following since 2020 when Norfolk voters first approved the casino.
Watch: Years in the making, ground will break Wednesday for Norfolk casino
Though some are excited about the casino, one group is against the fact that smoking will be allowed on the casino's game room floor.
"We want let our presence be known. We are begging for them to open the Norfolk casino as a non-smoking facility," Juana Wilson said.
Wilson is with the group C.E.A.S.E which stands for Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects. She says she is also a former Rivers Casino employee.
"I had to quit, because I had to go back on an inhaler after years of being off an inhaler," Wilson explained.
Watch: Norfolk City Council approves proposed casino's design; construction can move forward
She added, "Designated non-smoking areas would be great if it’s separated by a wall."
Recently, Norfolk casino presenters told the city's planning commission that smoking would be allowed, but they would work to have a high-quality HVAC system to mitigate impacts.
Keith Smith, President and CEO of Boyd Gaming Corporation said after the groundbreaking, "We will follow the law however that’s crafted, and today, the law allows smoking. We’ll intend to allow smoking in the casino. There will be a non-smoking area with the filtration systems that exist today, they do a very, very good job with removing smoke and other particulates that are in the air that are not just smoke-related. This casino will have high ceilings which will help with the whole process."
Dr. Ryan Light says secondhand smoke can have a major impact.
"Secondhand smoking increases the risk on lung cancer. It causes a lot harm to the person who is not choosing to smoke but has to be around it," Light said.
Watch: Should smoking be banned at Norfolk's proposed casino?
When the Rivers Casino opened last year in Portsmouth, smoking was also raised as a concern which led the casino to label some areas as non-smoking.
Norfolk Councilwoman Andria McClellan voted "no" against the casino’s design and voiced concern about the smoking policy in the Sept. 10 city council meeting.
"Some don’t want the casino, but those who do are concerned about the workers who work there and that there going to be around secondhand smoke," McClellan said.
The casino's development plan includes 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a 200-room hotel, 8 restaurants, and a 1,300-spot parking garage. The resort and casino will sit on six acres of land between Harbor Park and the Amtrak station.
