Anti-smoking advocates in Atlantic City, New Jersey, are leveraging their children’s voices in a campaign aimed at garnering support in Trenton for bipartisan legislation to mandate smoke-free policies in casinos.
Two 30-second videos were released Wednesday by Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), featuring children of casino workers who are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke. In the first video, Ayana, the granddaughter of CEASE co-founder Lamont White, a Borgata table game dealer, speaks about the challenges her grandfather faces due to secondhand smoke.
“When he comes over after work, if we try to hug him he won’t let us because he knows he smells like smoke,” Ayana says. “He doesn’t want us to inhale that. If they want to smoke, they should take it outside.”
Another video features Nathan, whose parents both work in Atlantic City casinos. He expresses concern for their well-being due to constant exposure to secondhand smoke.
“I definitely worry for my mom and dad, letting people just smoke in their face. It’s not fair… they are risking their lives for our lives,” Nathan shares. He reveals that his mother is currently pregnant but continues to work to support the family.
CEASE announced that the videos will air in key legislative districts across New Jersey, including Assemblyman Bill Moen’s District 5. Moen, the deputy majority leader, is a primary sponsor of Assembly Bill 2143, which aims to close the indoor smoking loophole that casinos have enjoyed under the state’s 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act.
Despite co-authoring the bill, Moen has stalled it in the Assembly Tourism, Gaming, and the Arts Committee that he chairs. The bill already has sufficient support to pass in the Assembly, with over 40 co-sponsors in the 80-member lower house.
Democratic leaders have paused to consider arguments from the casino industry, which warns that a complete smoking ban could lead to thousands of job losses. Gov. Phil Murphy, who previously stated he would sign a smoking ban if it reached his desk, has softened his stance, indicating that both sides of the issue must be weighed.
The United Auto Workers (UAW), representing table game dealers at Bally’s, Caesars, and Tropicana, support the ban on indoor casino smoking. However, Unite Here Local 54, which represents a large number of non-gaming casino workers in Atlantic City, opposes it. Unite Here argues that a smoking ban could potentially lead to the closure of one or two casinos, devastating the local economy.
The UAW assisted CEASE in funding a lawsuit challenging the 2006 indoor smoking carveout for casinos and parimutuel facilities in New Jersey. The lawsuit argued that casino workers’ rights to personal health safety are being violated.
Last week, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels ruled against the lawsuit. He stated that the state legislature did not violate the state’s founding framework by permitting casinos to allocate up to 25% of their gaming spaces for tobacco use.
Bartels reasoned that the Smoke-Free Air Act “does not hinder or affect a person’s ability to seek work in a smoke-free environment,” nor does it limit “casino workers’ right to pursue safety under the New Jersey Constitution.” CEASE is expected to appeal the ruling to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
