Atlantic City Casino Smoking Ban Gains Additional Support
The years of Atlantic City casino smoking permeating gaming floors mightiness be nearing extinguishment.
A legislative effort in the Trenton capital continues to make sustenance from nation lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. The in vogue(p) to fall in the anti-smoking campaign is country Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cape May).
Casino workers should get the same right on to work on inward a safe and level-headed surroundings as any other worker inwards our state,” Testa said of his backing. “We tin both protect the wellness of casino workers and their guests spell safeguarding our state’s thriving gaming industry.”
Testa is throwing his support behindhand Senate Bill 264. The statute law is a clon of S.1878 and Assembly Bill 4541, which both failed to pull in muster during the 2021 legislative session.
S.264 is now supported past two Republicans and pentad Democratic say lawmakers.
Worker Safety
Atlantic City casinos were afforded partial resistance from the 2006 New island of Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act. The gaming floors are permitted to denominate upwards to 25 percent for indoor smoking.
Many casino workers are urging country lawmakers to rivet on their personal health as practically as the financial well-being of the Nina from Carolina Atlantic Ocean City casinos.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) late signed statute law that will tighten the collective amount of prop taxes the casinos will pay this twelvemonth past $55 million. The payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) alteration lowers the casinos’ dimension taxes by removing iGaming and mobile sportsbook income from their assess calculation.
Casino Employees Against Smoke’s Effects (CEASE) argue eliminating indoor cassino smoking is a worthy initiative, too.
“We give thanks Senator Testa for co-sponsoring this two-party legislating after get together with us and audience our concerns well-nigh our health,” said CEASE voice and Borgata tabular array games dealer Nicole Vitola.
“We get reinforcement from Republicans and Democrats, as easily as legislators across New Jersey because they realise that it’s wrongfulness to treat us other than than every other worker inwards our state. Senator Testa understands the urgency of our fighting and we are thankful that he is connexion us to get under one's skin this eyeshade across the finish line,” Vitola added.
No Clean Bill of Health for Casinos
Joe Lupo, prexy of Hard John Rock Atlantic Ocean City, who to boot heads the Casino Association of New Jersey, maintains that at present is not the time to weigh regulations that could potentially hinder stage business at the resorts.
Any insurance policy changes that will result inwards decreased visitation, job loss, and additional economic harm to our region should live the utmost thing we deal as the industry deeds diligently to reconstruct and recoup from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Lupo said.
The New island of Jersey gaming manufacture enjoyed a banner twelvemonth inwards terms of revenue. But brick-and-mortar operations at Atlantic Ocean City casinos remained down(p) from pre-pandemic conditions.
Gross gaming revenue from land-based slot machines and tabular array games totaled $2.55 one thousand million inwards 2021. Though that was a 69 percent recovery inwards 2020, the gambling casino number is relieve 4.9 percent lour than what the casinos won in 2019.