Gaming trade officers and the state’s prime lawmakers at the moment are focusing their consideration on the divisive debate relating to the continuing permittance of indoor smoking. That’s after a doubtlessly catastrophic strike at Atlantic Metropolis casinos was prevented,
A gambler performs a slot machine whereas smoking a cigarette at Ocean On line casino Resort. The times of Atlantic Metropolis on line casino smoking might be numbered. (Picture: AP)
Atlantic Metropolis casinos are allowed to allocate as much as 25% of their gaming area for tobacco smoking. However a motion to finish the 16-year loophole that was given to the casinos when New Jersey handed its Smoke-Free Air Act in 2006 continues to achieve momentum.
The most recent rely reveals that half of the 40-member New Jersey Senate and 43 of the 80 state representatives within the Normal Meeting are sponsoring or co-sponsoring laws to ban indoor on line casino smoking in Atlantic Metropolis. Senate Invoice 264 and Meeting Invoice 2151 each got down to eradicate smoking on gaming flooring.
The equivalent payments have already got sufficient assist for the measures to cross their respective legislative chambers. However the statutes have made little progress since their introductions early this yr.
Senate Chief Explains Delay
New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) vastly differs in opinion from his predecessor, former state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Cumberland), relating to indoor on line casino smoking.
Sweeney was a loyal advocate of Atlantic Metropolis’s gaming trade throughout his twenty years in workplace. Following his surprising 2021 election defeat to a Republican political newcomer, Sweeney championed a legislative effort to recalculate how a lot the 9 casinos pay in annual property tax.
The Democratic lawmaker stated with out such financial savings — that are projected to avoid wasting the casinos $55 million this yr alone, and between $30 million to $65 million a yr by 2026 — as many as 4 casinos could be in peril of closing. Sweeney urged the state to depart Atlantic Metropolis smoking alone as he departed Trenton. Scutari says it ought to act.
I don’t suppose folks ought to smoke indoors,” Scutari advised NJ Advance Media final week in his first public feedback on the matter. However requested why S.264 and A.2151 haven’t moved ahead regardless of seemingly sufficient assist, Scutari defined that it’s a sophisticated concern.
“There’s extra to it than simply, ‘Do I believe folks ought to smoke indoors?’” the Senate president defined. “I don’t. I don’t like smoke. I’ve by no means been a smoker. However there are financial issues, there are different gadgets at work. We’ve started working with the trade and with the [anti-smoking] advocates.”
The trade argues {that a} smoking ban would vastly harm the play. A examine commissioned by the On line casino Affiliation of New Jersey, the lobbying arm of the 9 casinos, discovered that an indoor smoking ban would slash annual gross gaming income (GGR) by as a lot as 20%-25%. That may result in a discount in round 2,500 jobs, trade leaders say.
Such claims are disputed by the anti-smoking crowd. One other examine, this one performed independently by on line casino analysis agency C3 Gaming, discovered that smoke-free casinos now not generate much less GGR than their smoking counterparts.
As Senate President, Scutari will get to resolve which payments handed by committees are taken up on the complete chamber ground. The New Jersey Legislature is ready to reconvene from its summer season recess in September.
Strike Strikeout
Atlantic Metropolis on line casino officers managed to keep away from a strike at its resorts simply hours earlier than this previous weekend’s July 4th celebrations.
Union leaders of Unite Right here Native 54 have been threatening to provoke a walkout at Borgata, Caesars, Harrah’s, Tropicana, and Arduous Rock in the course of the Independence Day weekend. However the gaming trade and union reached new collective bargaining agreements late final week.
The union stated it’s “the very best contract we’ve ever had,” although particular phrases weren’t disclosed. Unite Right here had been searching for substantial pay raises for its members.
