Atlantic Casino Smoking Opponents Light Up 2022 Campaign

With 2022 nearly a month in, Atlantic Ocean City cassino smoking opponents are growing progressively impatient with New Jersey res publica lawmakers. The legislators keep to show minuscule enthusiasm inwards extinguishing baccy smoke on gaming floors.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and elected politicians inward Trenton latterly signed away on two measures that benefit the Nina from Carolina casinos in Atlantic City by way of reduced taxes. But when it comes to lawmaking benefitting the wellness of cassino workers and patrons, anti-smoking advocates say the say has been all fume and mirrors.

“Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE)” cofounder Pete Naccarelli is a table gritty dealer at MGM Resorts’ Borgata. The Marina District gambling casino is ane of many that takes reward of beingness permitted to designate upwards to 25 percent of its gaming infinite for smoking.

“You wouldn’t interpret the feeling you let when beingness on a spirited and someone walks upwardly and you insure them have got a coffin nail in their hand,” Naccarelli said inward a recent CEASE statement. “You’re simply begging, ‘Please don’t sit around at my game.'”

Bipartisan Bill Introduced

A two-way group of New Jersey lawmakers has already introduced statute law in 2022 that seeks to oddment the strip indoor atmosphere loophole afforded to Atlantic City casinos.

Senate Bill 264 would extinguish the smoking censor exemption for casinos and simulcasting facilities. The eyeshade would maintain the indoor smoking immunity for cigar lounges.

The statute would in effect amend the New island of Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, which went into effectuate on Apr 15, 2006.

The casinos debate that eliminating their indoor smoking proviso would spite their COVID-19 recovery. Casinos in the nearby Philadelphia realm are permitted to designate as practically as 50 percent of their gaming space for smoking.

Hard John Rock Atlantic City President Joe Lupo, who is also the chairperson of the Casino Association of New Jersey, says casinos cater to smokers and nonsmokers. He points to the fact that indoor smoking is modified to the specific region of the casino floor, and that all other public spaces indoors the resorts are full smoke-free.

Banning smoking completely and for good would hold long-term financial implications for the industry and the region, placing Atlantic City casinos at a competitory disadvantage with Keystone State casinos,” Lupo opined.

Lupo added that a total smoking ban would termination inwards task losses, tax revenue declines, and economical hardship on workers who get along remain past way of fewer tips due to reduced customer volume.

Last twelvemonth was a enter year for the entirety of the New island of Jersey gaming industry. But for Atlantic Ocean City’s brick-and-mortar operations, revenue gaming revenue endure year remained almost fin percent below pre-pandemic 2019 marketplace conditions.

Advocates Pressure Murphy

Murphy narrowly avoided existence overthrow during the Nov election. The Democratic governor was sworn into his arcsecond full term last week.

With the regulator officially inwards for another quartet years, the anti-smoking gang states that some of their Murphy votes were only if because the governor repeatedly stated in 2021 that he’s supportive of banning casino smoke.

“Now that he’s officially begun his young term, it’s clip for him to printing press the slip to legislators to acquire this done. Every mean solar day that goes past is another twenty-four hour period we risk our wellness at work,” said CEASE cofounder Lamont White.