Atlantic City Casino Smoking Ban Activists Praise Smoke-Free Policies in CT

The debate for and against casino smoking is long-running in New Jersey. Atlantic City gaming venues continue to have areas that offer smoking, and opponents want it gone. NJ casino operators feel that smoking must remain, or they will lose out on revenues. In Connecticut, casinos have maintained their smoke-free policies, and opponents in the Garden State praise their efforts and show how it can be done.

Atlantic City-based Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects (CEASE) are working to see smoking permanently banned from casinos in the state. The group recently praised the efforts of Foxwoods Casino and the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Each casino has a smoke-free policy that has been in effect since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Connecticut gaming venues recently published an article with statements on the matter. CEASE then issued a statement highlighting the smoke-free venues and how it has not affected gaming revenues. Management of the CT casinos says that a suggestion by industry analysts that a slight decrease in slot revenues for the fiscal year came from no smoking is not true.

Spectrum Gaming Group conducted research and questioned if the decision to remain smoke-free after the reopening of casinos post-pandemic influenced casino players to try digital instead of in-person play. Connecticut offers both options.

The most recent fiscal year for Connecticut saw a combined slot win by the two casinos of $848 million. This was a slight drop of 1.5% from the previous year. Gross gaming revenues from online services almost doubled for the year.

Top officials from both casinos say the smoking ban has nothing to do with the slight decrease. Both casinos implemented smoking bans as COVID-19 began and felt it best to keep the policy in place, as the public’s idea of smoking has changed drastically.

CEASE also weighed in and said that report after report has been presented with no basis in fact that a smoking ban is an issue. CEASE applauds the two casinos for protecting employees and guests from secondhand smoke. The group hopes Atlantic City will eventually adopt a similar policy so employees and visitors no longer have to be exposed to smoking within casino venues.

In 2006, a law enacted in New Jersey prohibited smoking in workplaces throughout the state. The only exception was casinos. Smoking was temporarily banned during the onset of COVID-19 and casino shutdowns but was eventually reinstated to a degree.

Smoking was allowed again on July 4, 2021, and restricted to 25% of the gaming floor within each New Jersey casino. CEASE, along with other advocates and employees, are hopeful that legislation will be considered to ban smoking in gaming venues fully.

The effort still has a long way to go, with lawmakers unsure of what to do and casinos fighting to maintain smoking on-site. CEASE will continue the fight in the Garden State and consists of thousands of employees that want to see the change. The group is comprised of casino dealers and frontline workers in NJ, with chapters open in Kansas, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

The group is expected to continue to lobby for no smoking,, which will certainly help to be backed with data like that of Connecticut casinos. It will be interesting to see as this year ends and a new one begins if the effort to stop smoking will be ramped up and lawmakers will finally side with the people rather than the business owners in the casino industry.