A bill to ban smoking in Atlantic City's casinos was postponed once more as Democratic lawmakers lacked the necessary votes. They are considering alternatives from the casino industry, such as enclosed smoking rooms where no employee would be required to work.

The Workers' Contention

Over 100 casino workers gathered in a state Capitol hearing room and expressed frustration as the smoking ban, anticipated for nearly three years, faced another setback. Lamont White, a Borgata dealer and advocate for the prohibition, voiced discontent, saying: 

"Why is the Legislature focused on tax cuts for the casinos rather than the health of their workers? Please, don't leave us behind in the smoke."

Nicole Vitola, another Borgata dealer involved in the anti-smoking campaign, also highlighted the challenges of enduring hours of secondhand smoke on the job without the option to avoid it.

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Compromising Exemption

Because of a previous compromise, Atlantic City's casinos are exempt from New Jersey's law that forbids smoking in public places. The Democratic senator and former governor, Richard Codey, admitted that granting this exemption was a compromise to enact a statewide smoking ban. There is a current movement to modify this exemption, though. The chairman of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Joseph Vitale, stated that the bill was one vote away from passing. He promised a future ballot and apologized to the workers who had traveled from Atlantic City. Vitale is in favor of the original bill, which sought to outlaw smoking in casinos, where it is only allowed in 25% of the space.

Senator Fred Madden is one of the lawmakers who wants to hear more from the casino industry. They suggest phasing in a smoking ban for eighteen months, allowing for the construction of enclosed smoking rooms and improved air treatment systems. Madden expressed concern that job losses could result from a complete smoking ban, but he is confident that a compromise could secure the necessary votes. Although the Casino Association of New Jersey has not yet made public the specifics of its plans, Mark Giannantonio, the organization's president, contends that the bill's current draft would harm Atlantic City's economy.

Divisive Debate

The idea of smoking rooms is rejected by a group that advocates for dealers, describing it as an absurd idea. There is broad, bipartisan support among New Jersey lawmakers for prohibiting smoking in casinos. If it passes, Governor Phil Murphy has promised to sign it. Other states like Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, and Nevada are seeing similar campaigns to outlaw smoking. The casinos in Connecticut are already smoke-free, and the casino smoking ban in Shreveport, Louisiana, has just been lifted.

The bill aims to eliminate an exception for casinos from the state's 2006 indoor smoking law. In Atlantic City, smoking is permitted on 25% of the casino floor. Citing possible losses in both revenue and patronage, the casino industry is against the ban. Some contend that numerous smoke-free casinos in other areas-like those close to Boston, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.-are financially successful.

The smoking ban debate is very heated in Atlantic City. Although the casino industry generated a record $5.2 billion in revenue last year, in-person gamblers accounted for just half of that. The online-generated portion that is left over must be disclosed to other parties, such as sportsbooks and tech platforms. Just three of the nine casino resorts, Borgata and, Ocean-received more money from in-person gaming last year than they did before the pandemic.

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