Atlantic City casinos appear to be winning the battle against smoking, at least for now
Executives at Atlantic City's nine casinos appear to have won over enough New Jersey lawmakers to back their efforts to ban smoking inside their casinos.
Just a month ago, it seemed likely that state lawmakers in Trenton would pass a law ending the indoor smoking loophole created by the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006. Two identical pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 264 and House Bill 2151, received enough support from co-sponsors to pass legislation.
Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex), the author of S264 and chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, where the bill was scheduled for preliminary consideration, said he no longer owns it The necessary votes to forward his proposal to send the regulations to the full Senate.
"We'll get there eventually," Vitale said this week. "This will pass and we will discuss this in a new meeting with new members."
Vitale reportedly lost ground on the casino smoking proposal as the gaming industry warned that the regulatory change would put her company at a disadvantage when competing with casinos in nearby Philadelphia, where indoor casinos are allowed Smoking. Casinos believe coastal smoking ban will result in thousands of job losses.
Sen. Fred Madden (D-Gloucester) is among the Democrats who have shifted support. He said that while he respects the priority of people's health, he does not seek public office to "take away people's livelihoods."
Back to the drawing board?
Atlantic City casino executives say they are still feeling the effects of the pandemic. Although land-based gaming revenue increased - casino profits were up 13% in October compared with the same month in 2019 - the resort said higher administrative costs significantly reduced revenue growth.
Casinos are asking state lawmakers to give them time to come up with something that satisfies both sides of the smoking dilemma. The industry said this could also include fully enclosed gaming rooms where smoking is allowed and a gradual ban on smoking in table games. Only employees who are willing to work in smoking rooms continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke.
Atlantic Republican Sen. Vince Polistina said it's time to overhaul casino smoking laws. Polistina, who represents Atlantic City and serves on the state's Gaming, Tourism and Historic Prevention Commission, believes there are solutions besides a blanket ban on smoking.
"Casinos believe that by implementing structured plans and making additional capital investments in their properties over the next several years, they can achieve our goal of eliminating secondhand smoke exposure for employees and guests," Polistina said. "Given their concerns about potential job losses, And concerns about plant closures resonate with some lawmakers, and I think we need to move in that direction so we don't lose momentum on this issue."
Current Law
Under New Jersey's Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006, Atlantic City's casinos can designate 25 percent of gaming spaces for indoor smoking.
The exemption only applies to casinos approved by the state Casino Control Commission with at least 150 individual slot machines, 10 gaming tables, or a combination of both.
There are no ventilation regulations or distance regulations for rooms that separate so-called non-smoking areas from smoking areas.
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Source: www.casino.org
