Casino workers and health advocates rallied outside the East Coast Gaming Congress last week over casino smoking laws
Advocates and casino employees intensified their campaign against indoor smoking in Atlantic City last week, holding a high-profile demonstration outside the East Coast Gaming Congress.
The protest was strategically timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, a landmark piece of public health legislation that notably excluded the state’s casino industry from its restrictions. Despite the heavy presence of protestors outside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Gov. Mikie Sherrill did not address the specific smoking loophole during her keynote address to industry leaders, further frustrating labor organizers.
Leaders from Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects, known as CEASE, argue that the exemption creates a two-tiered system where casino staff are the only workers in New Jersey denied a smoke-free environment. Co-founder Lamont White emphasized that employees have spent two decades testifying in Trenton about the severe health risks of secondhand smoke, only to be met with legislative delays.
Advocates point to the growing success of smoke-free venues in Pennsylvania and the looming competition from new New York City casinos as proof that Atlantic City can thrive without indoor tobacco use.
The battle is currently unfolding on two fronts. While the New Jersey Legislature considers competing bills, one for a total ban and another for ventilated smoking lounges, the state’s Supreme Court has issued a stay on lower court proceedings. This suggests the high court may soon determine if the exemption violates constitutional equal protection rights.
Gov. Sherrill recently maintained that a resolution should come from the Legislature rather than the courts. However, with 83% of voters supporting a ban and health professionals warning that secondhand smoke causes cancer beyond a shadow of a doubt, the pressure on the Sherrill administration to act is reaching a breaking point.
