He’s a lame duck, so anything State Senator Steve Sweeney does in the last days of his Senate time is not likely to reflect badly on his legacy. If anything, he could make a positive statement to New Jersey workers and visitors by pushing through the bill closing the loophole that allows smoking in the casinos in Atlantic City.
“Because Senator Sweeney is only listening to the casino lobbyists and executives—and refusing to meet with the casino workers—probably doesn’t know that most casinos in eastern Pennsylvania have been operating without indoor smoking for most of the last year,” Chris Moyer said in a statement. An advisor to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, Moyer accused Sweeney of lacking in the facts.
“It’s hard to take seriously his scare tactics about job losses after his recent, unsubstantiated claims that four casinos would close without a massive tax break. Where’s the proof? Atlantic City casinos thrived while operating smokefree.”
Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia has remained smokefree for most of the past 18 months. “Currently smoking is prohibited due to city Covid restrictions,” said Executive Director of Communications Carmen Gonzales.
Parx and Mount Airy Casino Resorts both opted to keeping their casinos smoke-free even when given permission to open them up to smoking. The decision did not result in negative revenue; indeed, Parx is considered the most successful casino in the state.
