ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City tried Prohibition once before. It worked so well that Nucky Johnson, the legendary politician and racketeer, built a Boardwalk empire immortalized on HBO nearly a century later. It also tried banning smoking, too. That lasted for 20 days as smokers stayed away, sending casino revenue plummeting. Atlantic City Council Votes to Eliminate Smoking in Casinos. Air Quality; News & Features; Atlantic City Council Votes to Eliminate Smoking in Casinos. “Atlantic City’s casinos will likely follow Las Vegas’ lead in not openly embracing recreational marijuana until increasing mainstream acceptance, and the experiences of states like Colorado.

ANR Foundation applauds Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey for taking the important step to reopen Atlantic City casinos 100% smokefree indoors for the health and safety of workers and the general public.

With this action, New Jersey joins other states in its regional gaming market, including Maryland, New York, and Delaware, that already have successful smokefree casinos. Requiring business to be smokefree is a vital step for reopening safely.

Many of Atlantic City’s competitors are already smokefree indoors

Today there are nearly 1,000 smokefree U.S. casinos and gambling venues as a result of the leadership of many cities, states, and sovereign Tribes. With the smokefree reopening guidelines in New Jersey and Michigan, 22 states now require smokefree air inside all commercial gaming venues.

More than 100 casinos have adopted new smokefree indoor air policies as part of their reopening plans. Most recently, Seneca Resorts and Casinos in New York, Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort in Connecticut, and Twin River Casino in Rhode Island announced plans to reopen smokefree.

Some in the gaming industry have criticized New Jersey’s smokefree reopening guidelines, borrowing from Big Tobacco’s playbook and making anecdotal predictions of economic harm.

When Atlantic City previously went smokefree for 30 days in 2008, casino workers finally had the right to breathe safe air in their job. However, the ordinance was rescinded under intensive industry lobbying pressure. Despite the reversal of the law, gaming revenue kept spiraling down instead of resurging because current gambling trends were already on the decline due to competition from new (or expanded) gaming in Pennsylvania and other traditional “feeder markets” for Atlantic City. People in D.C or Philadelphia didn’t need to drive to Atlantic City anymore for a casino.

Atlantic City gaming revenues losses were never about indoor smoking rules: it was because of new casinos opening in nearby states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. Also, the 2008 economic recession meant a significant reduction in discretionary spending for casino patrons. Gaming revenue at that time was down across all markets regardless of indoor smoking status.

Secondhand Smoke and COVID-19

In the era of COVID, indoor smoking is an urgent respiratory health hazard that can be easily addressed by shifting smoking to outdoor areas and away from staff.

Secondhand smoke is a risk factor for susceptibility to more severe COVID-19 symptoms because of the demonstrative impact it has on underlying health conditions including heart disease, diminished lung function, and associated risk of respiratory illnesses. In a casino, pulling down masks to blow smoke and respiratory droplets creates even more of a health gamble in the context of COVID-19.

Notably, casino ventilation systems do not address the health hazards of secondhand smoke.

Smoke Free Casino Atlantic City 2021 Calendar

A lot has changed on the issue of indoor smoking for the gaming industry since early partnership with Big Tobacco via schemes such as the Philip Morris Options Project that sought to undermine smokefree casino policies. Today, 90% of Gen-Z and Millennials and 92% of older Americans age 65+ are nonsmokers. Most casino staff and customers are nonsmokers. Smokefree environments help attract more nonsmokers and support the growth of non-gaming amenities. It also bolsters HR and operations measures, such as improved employee retention, reduced absenteeism, and reduced cleaning costs related to servicing indoor ashtrays and/or smoke filters. In this current environment, smokefree indoor air shows that the health and safety of staff and guests is a priority.

After the 1918 flu epidemic, public spittoons disappeared from hospitality venues. With COVID-19, it’s time to finally end indoor smoking in hospitality gaming workplaces too.

For more information, visit https://smokefreecasinos.org/reopening-casinos-smokefree-the-new-normal/

Smokers may soon be out of luck: At least five of Atlantic City's casinos are making gambling areas smoke-free.

The move comes in response to a law passed in February requiring gambling floors to be at least 75 percent smoke-free. The city's 11 casinos must tell the state by Saturday how they plan to comply with the law.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns four casinos here _ Harrah's Atlantic City, the Showboat Casino-Hotel, Bally's Atlantic City and Caesars Atlantic City _ said Tuesday it will spend $7 million to open smoking lounges ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet apiece. Tropicana Casino and Resort has a similar plan.

That would leave the gambling floor totally smoke-free; patrons would have to enter one of the lounges in order to light up.

Atlantic City Casinos

'We are committed to improving the work environment for our employees,' said J. Carlos Tolosa, Harrah's eastern division president. 'I believe this smoke-free ordinance provides our industry with a fair transitional guideline for better workplace conditions.'

Resorts Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort plan to hedge their bets by creating a smoking lounge at each casino, along with one slots area and one table games area at each casino that will be set aside for smokers.

'We have customers who are very vocal on both sides,' said Tony Rodio, regional president for Resorts Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Hilton. 'A number of customers are very frustrated, who say that if they can't smoke, they won't come here. I also have customers who tell me if it was 100 percent smoke-free, I'd come here all the time.'

The City Council in Atlantic City had been set to ban smoking in all the casinos earlier this year but relented under fierce pressure from the industry, which said it feared losing 20 percent of its revenue and thousands of jobs if it was banned. The law requires physical barriers to prevent smoke from bothering customers and employees in non-smoking areas.

Some casinos have not yet said definitively what they plan to do.

Tom Hickey, a spokesman for Trump Entertainment Resorts, said enclosed smoking areas will be built at each of the company's three Atlantic City casinos _ Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and Trump Marina Hotel Casino. But he would not say whether they would be gambling areas or smoking lounges where gambling is not offered.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa had no immediate comment on its plans Tuesday evening.

Michele Holcomb, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society, said she is encouraged by the trend away from smoky gambling pits.

'People want smoke-free entertainment venues,' she said. 'You go to a casino to gamble and dine. You don't go somewhere to smoke.'