Las Vegas NowDealer Files Smoking Lawsuit Against Wynn

Dealer Files Smoking Lawsuit Against Wynn

One casino worker is suing Wynn Las Vegas claiming she is being exposed to dangerous second-hand smoke and it's her employer's fault.

For Kanie Kastroll, the smoke she is inhaling at her job has her fuming.

"We're asking to save our lives," said Kastroll who is a dealer at the Wynn Las Vegas and has worked in smoke-filled casinos for 20 years.

Kastroll says Wynn is not protecting employees from second-hand smoke.

"It's literally difficult to breathe, especially if you have one on your left, and one on your right, sometimes you have five of them," she said. While casino patrons enjoy table games and feed slot machines, the federal lawsuit says "employees... play a game called 'dodge the smoke.'"

The suit claims Wynn Las Vegas "continues to gamble with its employees' health and welfare in order to cut costs and maintain the status quo."

"There's a lot of naysayers that say, 'why don't you quit your job? you knew better,'" she said.  Kastroll says all she would be doing is let another employee replace her and breathe the smoke. 

Some tourists that spoke with Eyewitness News say they enjoy the fact that they can smoke while gambling in Las Vegas.

"I love it! It's great to smoke in a casino," said Jan, who is a smoker.

"I'm a non-smoker, but it doesn't bother me, so it's ok," added Sebastian Schmidt.

Still, Kastroll hopes casinos will one day snuff out all smoking. "We want to be protected, you know, whether it be a mask or a ventilator, I don't know," said Kastroll.

She points to a recent CDC report that found casino employees are continually exposed to cancer-causing chemicals that smokers inhale. Wynn Las Vegas did not comment on the pending litigation.