Atlantic City Casino Smoking Hearing Reveals Strong Divide Between Industry, Workers

Atlantic City gambling casino smoking is allowed on up to 25% of the niner gaming floors inward town. But many cassino workers say it’s long yesteryear clip to ending the smoking leeway inward order to protect employee health.

Two selfsame(a) pieces of legislation, from each one seeking to secretive the casino smoking loophole that was formed in 2006 when New island of Jersey passed its Smoke-Free Air Act, have been lingering in the capital of New Jersey cap for more than a year. The lawmaking — Senate Bill 264 and Assembly Bill 2151 — already get enough keep past way of life of co-sponsors to go across their respective chambers.

But the Democratic-controlled Legislature has mothballed the bills for unknown region reasons, though rumors feature circulated that the party’s brass wants to hold off until after the 2023 election to deal the measures. All 80 seats inwards the General Assembly and 40 seats in the nation Senate are on the ballot this November.

After months of inaction, one of the smoking bills eventually gained some thoughtfulness this week.

Divisive Issue

The Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee this hebdomad held a hearing on SB264. The committee has possessed the Senate’s Atlantic Ocean City casino smoking banker's bill since February 2020.

The committee invited both sides of the cassino smoking subject to testify. And it speedily became unmistakable that finding mutual run aground mightiness be difficult.

Atlantic City cassino workers demanding a smoke-free work say tabulate spirited dealers aren’t able to remain all the way of harmful secondhand fume that’s regularly pursy in their faces.

I am responsible for(p) for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of chips. When a player 12 inches forth blows a cloud of smoking at me, I can’t move, and I’m prohibited from waving the smoke away, a gesture that would be considered rude,” Borgata dealer Pete Naccarelli told the committee. Naccarelli is ace of the cofounders of CEASE — Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects.

Other cassino workers testified that they believe some of their physical ailments are linked to workings within toxic workplaces. Lamont White, another CEASE leader who is also a dealer at the Borgata, said he’s amount to pick up that people dying of smoke-related cancers inwards their 40s and 50s isn’t unwashed outdoors of his industry.

“We cannot walkway away. Our chore is to accept it, no more matter how many cigarettes or cigars are lit,” Caucasian stated.

The casinos, however, controvert eliminating indoor smoking. Atlantic City’s leading cassino join — Unite Here Local 54 — does, too.

I would bet everything I make that I year after a smoking ban, we testament experience a 10%-15% slump in gaming revenue,” said Local 54 President Bob McDevitt. “[No-smoking] would close-fitting one, maybe II casinos inward Atlantic Ocean City.”

The Senate citizens committee didn’t human activity on SB264. It also provided no timeline as to when the committee power voting on the bill.

Casino Smoke Out

McDevitt and the Casino Association of New Jersey experience on a regular basis cited Pennsylvania’s ongoing smoking allowance indoors casinos as the primary feather understanding that smoking should keep to be allowed pile the shore.

But CEASE isn’t planning to only if extinguish cassino smoking inwards Atlantic Ocean City, as the grassroots crusade is undergoing an expansion of its efforts across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

CEASE today has advocacies running inward Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Rhode Island.

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