New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Fully Embraces Atlantic City Casino Smoking Ban

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) this week gave anti-smoking advocates inwards New Jersey the tidings they’ve been seeking for many months: his support of banning smoking inside Atlantic Ocean City casinos.

During his in style(p) edition of “Ask Gov. Murphy” on News 12 New Jersey, the Democratic governor, nearing the finish of his 1st term, was asked why baccy smoking within Atlantic Ocean City’s niner casinos remains permitted.

“There was a stop of time due to the public health emergency where we did not allow that [smoking] inwards the casinos. But at a sure point, that was e'er going to expire, and it did expire,” Murphy responded.

I’ve said this unequivocally… If lawmaking comes to my desk that would ban smoking inwards casinos, you should take up that I will signal it,” the regulator affirmed.

It’s not the firstly time Murphy has publicly verbalised his thoughtfulness of making Atlantic Ocean City tour smoke-free. In June, he said anti-smoking advocates have made “a really compelling case.”

New Jersey’s Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 came with a stipulation for Atlantic City casinos that allows them to designate up to 25 percent of their gaming floors for smoking.

Anti-Smoke Advocates Rejoice

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) has been leading the campaign inward New Jersey to extinguish indoor casino smoking. The nonprofit deeds to civilise the public on the dangers and harmful personal effects of smoking and secondhand smoke.

Cynthia Hallett, chairperson and CEO of ANR, welcomed Murphy’s allegiance to signing statute law that would finish the Atlantic City cassino clean-living send loophole.

“We are grateful for the governor’s sort out reply that he would subscribe legislation to … protect the health of gaming employees piece they are at work,” Hallett said in a give up issued to Casino.org.

It wasn’t all cheers, however, as Hallett reaffirmed the hurdles facing lawmakers inward Trenton who want to oddment smoking on Atlantic City cassino floors. New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) has sided with the land gaming manufacture inward opposing efforts to wee gaming liberate of indoor tobacco smoke.

Hallett as a final result called on the regulator to pressure Sweeney and other powerful tell lawmakers into supporting a fresh atmosphere cassino bill.

“Atlantic City cassino workers cannot hold back any longer,” she opined.

Industry Opposition

The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) claims a smoking ban would hurt business. And with Atlantic City’s 9 gambling casino operators reeling from COVID-19, the lobbying aggroup says now is certainly non the clip to moot such legislation.

A smoking forbidding would have got a significant untoward set up on Atlantic Ocean City, resulting inwards a diminution inward customers which would do job loss, and at last a declination inward assess revenue,” the CANJ declared in July.

Murphy is upwardly for reelection on November 2 against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Murphy holds a more than double-digit lede inwards the modish polling.

Online political betting exchange PredictIt has Murphy’s shares of winning a secondment full term trading at 95 cents. Ciattarelli’s shares of winning the gubernatorial election are at simply a nickel.