Smoking in Atlantic City casinos could be on the way out.
“The most likely [bill] to see swift action is a total smoking ban inside Atlantic City casinos,” according to Play NJ. “The gambling parlors are among the state’s last exemptions for allowing indoor smoking. Covid-19 makes this a public health issue and lawmakers will not want to hear about lost revenue for casinos.”
Herb Conaway, chairman of the Assembly Health Committee and a Burlington County physician, told the publication, “We have a number of employees who, as a condition of their work, are exposed to this carcinogen.”
Lamont White, co-leader of Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects (CEASE), is pressuring Governor Phil Murphy to keep the pledge he made as he was sworn in to his second term. “Governor Murphy has repeatedly said he’ll sign legislation to close the casino smoking loophole and protect us from dangerous secondhand smoke,” White said in a statement. “Now that he’s officially begun his new term, it’s time for him to press the case to legislators to get this done. Every day that goes by is another day we risk our health at work. … We won’t stop pushing him until the bill reaches his desk and he signs it into law.”
Six state senators reintroduced bipartisan legislation to close the loophole, according to Inside NJ. Senator Vince Polistina, who represents Atlantic City and thousands of casino workers, said, “The legislation could come up for a vote within the next month or two.”
In December, Murphy vowed to sign no-smoking legislation if it crosses his desk.
