It seems that creating smoke-free work environments is all the rage in major US states. New York and California have eliminated indoor smoking and New Jersey is attempting to do the same. Why just attempting, you ask?? Simply put, the casino... times 12. Atlantic City the home a many a casino, a dozen to be specific, which bring in $4.8 billion in gambling revenues and 350 million in tax dollars for the state of New Jersey. With so much money coming in you better believe that there are some stressed out casino gamblers out there.
What do smokers do when they find themselves in stressful situations? Well, they smoke of course. Prohibiting smoking within the casino will cause many players to step outside more often for a smoking break, lessening the length of time they sit at tables, and thus, keeping them from playing. Being that the casino industry brings in over 2% of NJ spending, they have a lot to say about future laws which affect their better interests. At this point New Jersey would like to ban smoking in indoor workplaces, this includes restaurants, bars and the Atlantic City casino, which employs over 50,000 people.
It seems that the NJ law banning indoor smoking will pass, with one major exception, continuing to allow gamblers to smoke at their favorite casino. In addition to keeping gamblers happy, smoking within the casino will keep revenues up, thereby allowing the casino to maintain their high employment rates. And although this is better for the government and casino owners, many owners of small bars and restaurants, who will lose profits due to the smoking ban, are unhappy. You can't win them all, but at least the casino industry will keep its house advantage.
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