A New Jersey state committee has scheduled a hearing for November 30th during which it is expected to discuss a bill seeking to overturn the casino smoking ban exemption.
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee is an eight-person committee of which six senators are sponsors or co-sponsors of the smoking ban legislation.
If approved, the bill would bring an end to the smoking ban exemption that has allowed Atlantic City casinos to permit smoking on 25% of gaming floors. The exemption was introduced alongside the general smoking ban which was put in place to protect the health of people in their workplace.
Since then, casino workers have petitioned state lawmakers to take up their cause and request that a full ban be implemented in all casinos and gaming establishments. In 2022, many as 20 of the state’s 40 senators supported a complete ban on smoking in casinos. Yet despite that support, legislation failed to make it through the committee stage.
This failure was attributed in large part to casino owners saying that if a smoking ban is put in place, there could be significant financial losses which could result in layoffs and casino closures.
Despite the casinos’ fears, a poll by Stockton University found that as many as 62% of locals are in favor of a smoking ban at casinos. Public opinion and pressure from casino workers has resulted in this latest legislative attempt succeeding where others have failed by making it to a Senate committee. If the committee approves the bill, it will then go to the legislature for a vote.
Gov. Phil Murphy has previously said that he would sign the bill if it cleared the Legislature.
Pennsylvania Casinos Lead the Way
In 2022, Rivers Casino in Philadelphia became the fifth casino to permanently ban smoking. The ban was originally introduced as part of covid-19 restrictions which allowed casinos to reopen following forced closures.
Once the temporary ban expired, Parx Casino and Rivers Casino both publicly announced that they would keep the ban in place to protect the health of their staff. Three other casinos have kept the ban in place but have not made a public announcement on the matter.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.