New Jersey lawmakers should ban smoking in casinos, a new American Lung Association report says.
The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of Tobacco Control report, released Wednesday (29 January), called on New Jersey lawmakers to “finally make New Jersey smoke-free by closing the loophole which continues to allow smoking and e-cigarette use in New Jersey’s casinos.”
The call to action coincides with the years-long efforts of two anti-smoking groups. The Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE), a group of Atlantic City table-game dealers, and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) have called to end the casino exemption to the state’s 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act.
The annual report also called on state leaders to ban other tobacco products. These include menthol cigarettes, increase tobacco taxes and invest more in anti-smoking initiatives.
“Here in New Jersey, we are seeing tobacco industry lobbyists working to prevent smoke-free casinos from becoming a reality,” said Michael Seilback, assistant vice president for nationwide advocacy at the American Lung Association, in a press release accompanying the annual report.
“The tobacco industry is also introducing new products that appeal to youth like e-cigarettes that mimic smartphones, kid-friendly flavors and flavored nicotine pouches that are heavily marketed by social media influencers.”
The American Lung Association’s (ALA) report assigns letter grades to states’ tobacco-control efforts in five different areas. It gave New Jersey an F in the area of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding.
Advocate: Casino employees have ‘waited long enough’
Meanwhile, CEASE and ANR both issued press releases the same day as the ALA report. The date marked the one-year anniversary of a state senate committee releasing S1493, a casino smoking-ban bill, for a floor vote. Senate leaders subsequently failed to schedule a vote.
“It’s been a year since the senate health committee voted to protect us from secondhand smoke, and yet we’re still waiting for action from senate leadership,” said Pete Naccarelli, a table games dealer and co-founder of CEASE. “Casino employees have waited long enough. How many more workers have to get sick despite never smoking a day in their lives before lawmakers in Trenton will make good on their promises? The votes are here, the support is here, and it’s time for our legislators to pass S1493 now. We’ve waited long enough—it’s time to close this loophole and protect our health.”
Former state senator Loretta Weinberg, who sponsored the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act, joined the chorus in calling for the loophole to be closed. In early January wrote an op-ed on NJ.com.
‘Year of inaction’ unacceptable
In addition, Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, said “This year of inaction suggests that policymakers’ expressions of concern for working people’s health is merely empty rhetoric,” she said. “Casino workers—backed by widespread support from patrons, advocates, union workers, and a bipartisan group of legislators—have been calling for an end to indoor smoking in casinos for years.
“The dangers of secondhand smoke are undeniable. According to the US Surgeon General, even brief exposure can immediately harm the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of a heart attack. These workers have endured far more than a ‘brief’ exposure—they are forced to breathe toxic air daily. New Jersey lawmakers have the opportunity to finally right this wrong by passing Senate bill S1493 now.”
