New Jersey bill would ban smoking inside Atlantic City casinos

As any smoker is aware of, it is powerful to seek out locations indoors the place it is permissible to mild up cigarettes today. For a lot of the twentieth century it was widespread to see folks smoking indoors, efforts the final couple a long time to eradicate smoking indoors – and in some cases open air – have been profitable in lots of elements of the nation. 

In 2006, New Jersey banned smoking in public locations – together with seashores, parks and workplaces – nevertheless it stays permitted in designated areas inside Atlantic Metropolis’s 9 casinos underneath a provision of the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, which permits casinos can designate as much as 25% of their gaming flooring as areas have been smoking is allowed.

On Monday, lawmakers started debating a invoice that would eradicate the Atlantic Metropolis on line casino smoking exemption. (Audio of the listening to is posted on-line.) If it passes, it solely would be the second time within the 17 years since New Jersey’s anti-smoking regulation took impact that it has been amended so as to add extra restrictions: In 2019, lawmakers voted to ban smoking within the passenger drop-off and pick-up areas at New Jersey airports.

This new push to eradicate smoking in Atlantic Metropolis casinos is backed by one group of on line casino employees, a few of whom testified at Monday’s listening to about what they are saying are the consequences secondhand smoke has had on their well being. Staff are advocating for comparable legislative initiatives ban smoking in casinos in different states, like Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Opponents of the New Jersey invoice — amongst them one of many man unions that represents Atlantic Metropolis’s on line casino works — say that banning smoking casinos will hurt income and jobs by encouraging gamblers to go to neighboring states, the place smoking is permitted, the Affiliate Press reported. 

“Casinos’ claims about job losses when legislators shut the on line casino smoking loophole are nothing however sizzling air — they cannot even fill the job openings they’ve now,” Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of People for Nonsmokers’ Rights, stated forward of Monday’s listening to. “Their sky-is-falling predictions can’t be taken critically given the realty of the employment scenario in Atlantic Metropolis. And possibly they would not have such a tough time discovering workers if potential employees knew they would not need to work in a smoke-filled setting for eight hours a day. We propose they finish indoor smoking and use that as a recruiting instrument.”

In September 2020, smoking was briefly prohibited contained in the casinos throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. On the time, New Jersey was reopening some indoor actions, and a lot of New Jersey’s casinos had upgraded their air flow methods with the intention to higher clear the air. In a letter to the On line casino Affiliation of New Jersey, the commerce group for Atlantic Metropolis casinos, the president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers stated its engineers have been involved permitting folks to smoke would undermine that effort.  

When Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the momentary ban in July 2021, he indicated he would  assist a everlasting ban on smoking.

“On the finish of the day, we are going to nonetheless get good enterprise,” Murphy instructed News12 New Jersey in September. “Atlantic Metropolis is an American gem. We have got the seashore and different rivals do not. And that is the appropriate factor for our respective well being.” 

The ban has bipartisan majority assist from New Jersey’s state legislature. Although no date have been set for a vote on the invoice, Monday’s listening to helped decide the following steps for Sens. Joseph Vitale and Shirley Okay. Turner, the invoice’s sponsors. 

“New Jersey cannot tolerate a regulation which bans smoking as a well being hazard in locations aside from casinos and simulcasting amenities,” stated Vitale, a Democrat from Middlesex County. “To counsel it is okay for on line casino employees to be uncovered to second-hand smoke, however not bartenders, waitresses and workplace clerks is absurd.”