As Atlantic City casino workers call for a ban on smoking at gambling halls, New Jersey officials worry it could end funds for the elderly.
A group of Atlantic City casino workers has asked a judge to ban smoking in the gambling halls, citing the toxic effects of working there.
But it would be an equally impactful change for workers who say they are sick of having to breathe other people's smoke in order to make a living, and who cite illnesses they attribute to secondhand smoke, including bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory ailments, including several cases of cancer.Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos, but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke.
She also raised the issues of equal protection under the law, and what she called a Constitutional right to safety. McGuire also repeatedly cited the state's Casino Revenue Fund, into which 8% of the casinos' revenue is paid to fund programs for senior citizens and the disabled. In fiscal year 2024, he said, $526 million from the fund will be spend on such programs.
Smith said the argument that “people should be poisoned” so that casinos can do well and generate more state tax revenue is “repugnant” and “shocking.” One of his clients, Local 54 of the Unite Here union, said in court papers it fears as much as a third of its 10,000 members could lose their jobs if smoking is banned.
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