Atlantic City New Jersey is about to become the larges gambling city in the USA to go smoke free.
The Atlantic City Council have passed a preliminary law that is expected to go into effect around April of 2007 that will make it illegal to smoke on any casino floor. In 2004 a bill was Passed in New Jersey that banned smoking in any public areas and work places, with the exception for the casinos. The exception was made out of fears that a smoking ban in the casinos would hurt New Jerseys 5 billion dollar a year gambling industry, by causing smoker to go to it’s neighboring states Indian Casinos.
After the law is in effect the council will watch carefully to see if there is a drop in the number of visitors to Atlantic City’s many casinos, if there is a drastic drop in gamblers the City Council will have no choice but to rescind the smoking ban.
The City Council passed the law after caving in to pressure from the New Jersey chapter of the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society got involved to protect the 41,000 people employed by the casinos, to attempt to stop the number of non smoking casino workers who developed smoking related diseases like lung cancer or emphysema.