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Casino smoking ban passes key hurdle in New Jersey Senate

Casino workers dismissed any attempt at a compromise bill. “The last 18 years has been a compromise that our lives can no longer afford,” said dealer Nicole Vitola.

A nonsmoking area pictured inside Tropicana Atlantic City would become a total ban under legislation that passed a state Senate committee on Monday. Unions representing dealers and others have been fighting for a smoking ban for decades.
A nonsmoking area pictured inside Tropicana Atlantic City would become a total ban under legislation that passed a state Senate committee on Monday. Unions representing dealers and others have been fighting for a smoking ban for decades.Read moreAmy S. Rosenberg

A long-sought ban on smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos passed a key legislative hurdle Monday, giving renewed hope to thousands of dealers and others who have been fighting for the ban for nearly two decades.

“The only way to get the casinos to do the right thing is to force them,” Nicole Vitola, a leader of the Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) testified before the state Senate’s Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

The committee passed the bill, which closes the nonsmoking loophole that exempted casinos, meaning it can now be sent to the full Senate for a vote. It could also be referred to the Senate’s committee on tourism and gaming.

As she has repeatedly before, Vitola testified that as a pregnant dealer, she received no accommodations, and was put directly on a smoking table, where she had no choice but to breathe in second-hand smoke an arm’s length away.

State Sen. Vincent Polistina (R., Atlantic) said he would be introducing his own bill that allows for enclosed smoking rooms. He said he would vote for the total ban if it reached the Senate floor before his bill.

But Vitola and others dismissed any attempt at a compromise bill. “The last 18 years has been a compromise that our lives can no longer afford,” she said.

» READ MORE: Gamblers puff away in Atlantic City casinos as a smoking ban heads for a key legislative vote

While the casino industry insists that they will suffer economically if the smoking ban is enacted, CEASE and the United Auto Workers union, which represents thousands of dealers in Atlantic City’s casinos, say the smoking ban will be good for business.

They cite polls that 74% of people in New Jersey and Philadelphia would be more likely to visit Atlantic City casinos if they were to operate smoke-free.

In a statement, CEASE thanked the committee for its vote and called the day “a great day in our fight for a healthier workplace.”

”We urge lawmakers to pass this bill when it comes to the Senate floor because no one should be forced to choose between their health and a paycheck.”

CEASE also urged Polistina not to introduce his compromise bill, which, they said “will only compromise the health of A.C. workers.”