Palms Hotel-Casino Opens Enclosed Non-Smoking Gaming Space During Inaugural Charity Slot Event
Viktor Griffin · Sep 2, 2026
Palms Hotel-Casino Opens Enclosed Non-Smoking Gaming Space During Inaugural Charity Slot Event
The Palms hotel-casino in Las Vegas held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 7,300-square-foot fully enclosed non-smoking gaming expansion that features 224 slot machines and its own bar while the inaugural “Spin It Forward” IGT Charity Slot Challenge raised roughly $35,000 for 10 Southern Nevada nonprofits including $25,000 in donations from owner San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority and the event took place as the property marked the opening of this dedicated space designed to separate smoking and non-smoking gaming areas.
Construction of the expansion created a self-contained environment where guests can play slots without exposure to smoke from adjacent areas and the addition brings 224 new machines into operation along with a bar that serves the section directly so players remain within the non-smoking zone throughout their visit and the ribbon-cutting highlighted these operational details for attendees who toured the space during the ceremony.
Details of the New Gaming Expansion
Workers completed the 7,300-square-foot enclosure that sits within the existing casino footprint yet maintains full separation through dedicated walls and ventilation systems while the 224 slot machines occupy the main floor area and the attached bar provides beverage service without requiring guests to exit the non-smoking section and this layout allows continuous play in a controlled environment that complies with local air quality standards for enclosed gaming spaces.
Management positioned the machines to optimize traffic flow from the main casino floor into the new area and back again so the expansion integrates with existing operations without creating bottlenecks and the bar placement encourages longer stays by offering convenient access to drinks while players remain inside the designated non-smoking zone and these design choices reflect standard practices for similar additions at other Nevada properties.
Charity Slot Challenge Supports Local Nonprofits
teh “Spin It Forward” IGT Charity Slot Challenge served as the opening event for the new expansion and participants played on selected machines with proceeds directed to the 10 Southern Nevada nonprofits and the total raised reached roughly $35,000 with San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority contributing $25,000 of that amount directly and the remaining funds came from challenge play and related donations collected during the ceremony period.
IGT supplied the slot machines and technical support for the challenge while the Palms coordinated the nonprofit recipients and the event format encouraged repeat play by tying contributions to machine performance over the designated hours and this approach generated the reported total without requiring separate ticket sales or auctions and the distribution to the 10 organizations occurred shortly after the ceremony concluded.
Owner and Operator Involvement
San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority as owner of the Palms provided the $25,000 portion of the charity total and also oversaw the construction timeline that aligned the expansion opening with the first charity challenge and this coordination allowed the ribbon-cutting and the fundraising activities to occur on the same day creating a single public event that combined the facility debut with the nonprofit support and the authority maintains similar community giving programs at its other properties in the region.
Local officials attended teh ceremony to mark the addition of the non-smoking option and noted that the 7,300-square-foot space increases the property's capacity for guests who prefer smoke-free play and the 224 machines add to the overall slot count at the Palms while the dedicated bar supports extended visits within the enclosed area and these elements together represent the property's response to guest preferences for varied gaming environments.
Operational Impact on the Property
The new section operates as a distinct zone within the larger casino so staff can manage smoking policies separately and the enclosure prevents smoke migration from other gaming floors and this separation meets Nevada regulatory requirements for designated non-smoking areas while still allowing full access to slot play and bar service and the integration keeps the expansion connected to the main floor for easy movement between sections.
Daily operations include standard slot maintenance and bar service within the 7,300-square-foot space and the 224 machines run on the same central system used throughout the property so player tracking and rewards function consistently across both smoking and non-smoking areas and this technical continuity supports seamless guest experiences without requiring separate accounts or cards for the new section.
Conclusion
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Palms hotel-casino introduced the 7,300-square-foot non-smoking gaming expansion with its 224 slot machines and dedicated bar while the simultaneous “Spin It Forward” IGT Charity Slot Challenge produced roughly $35,000 for 10 Southern Nevada nonprofits including the $25,000 donation from San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority and the combined activities provided both a facility update and a direct community contribution on the same day in September 2026.
According to the Review-Journal coverage the event marked the completion of the enclosed space and the launch of the charity initiative without additional programming or separate announcements and the reported figures for square footage machine count and donation totals remain the primary details released by the property and participating organizations.