Report NJ Casinos Rely on to Scare Legislators Disproven By Its Own Authors

Atlantic City, NJ— For years, casinos in New Jersey have clung to a misleading and biased report from Spectrum Gaming as evidence that prohibiting smoking would severely hurt revenue. Now, the authors of that study are admitting that eliminating smoking may not have the detrimental impact they once claimed. This shift comes after decades of fear-mongering to convince lawmakers to preserve the smoking exemption in Atlantic City casinos.

“The Casino Association of New Jersey has clung to an outdated narrative to protect a smoking loophole that harms casino workers and patrons. Now, the authors of the Spectrum report have conceded what we’ve known all along: smokefree policies don’t hurt casino business — in fact, they can help it,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “It’s time for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kansas, Nevada and others to catch up to this reality and join the growing number of states creating healthier, more competitive casino environments.”

In a recent Spectrum newsletter, the authors acknowledged that restricting smoking may not actually harm casino revenue. Spectrum specifically points to Illinois, where smokefree casinos are thriving and may even be attracting customers from Indiana, where smoking is permitted in casinos:

Spectrum believes that one advantage Indiana casinos enjoyed has faded over time: Smoking is prohibited in Illinois casinos. The percentage of Illinoisans who smoke declined from 18.6% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2023, according to the American Lung Association. Clearly, the Illinois smoking ban handicap is not as great as it once was (and might benefit from Hoosiers who prefer a smokefree casino).

—recent Spectrum newsletter

This revelation aligns with recent independent research, including studies by C3 Gaming, showing that smokefree casinos not only perform as well as their smoking-permitted counterparts, but often outperform them. The Casino Association of New Jersey can no longer rely on outdated, misleading claims to defend the smoking loophole. As consumer preferences shift and the market evolves, it’s time for New Jersey — and other states like Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kansas, and Nevada — to act. Closing the smoking loophole in Atlantic City casinos will create a healthier, more competitive environment for both workers and customers.

Background
Polling has consistently found strong, bipartisan support for ending smoking in casinos — and that making such a change would attract more visitors to them. A new poll of likely 2025 South Jersey voters finds overwhelming support—83%—for bipartisan legislation to finally close the casino smoking loophole in state law. 79% say they would be more likely to visit a casino if it were 100% smokefree indoors; that number jumps to 81% among current casino-goers.

An earlier December 2023 poll of Philadelphia area adults living in Pennsylvania and New Jersey found that nearly three-in-four adults (74%) say they’re more likely to visit an entirely smokefree casino. An American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) survey from November 2021 found overwhelming support for smoke-free casinos in New Jersey, with voters backing closing the casino smoking loophole by a 2-1 margin. A Nevada poll last year showed that even in the casino industry epicenter, nearly 60% of Nevada voters support ending smoking in casinos.

Parx Casino, just north of Philadelphia, is the closest smokefree option for those who prefer a smokefree indoor environment, and the casino continues to thrive since voluntarily ending indoor smoking nearly five years ago. The company has saved on health insurance costs for employees and other expenses, while seeing employee satisfaction increase and sick days decrease.

###

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for nearly 50 years, since 1976, to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANR has continuously shined a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound and life-saving public health measures and successfully protected 61% of the population with local or statewide smokefree workplace, restaurant, and bar laws. ANR aims to close gaps in smokefree protections for workers in all workplaces, including bars, music venues, casinos, and hotels. For more information, please visit https://nonsmokersrights.org and https://smokefreecasinos.org

See what casino workers say about working in secondhand smoke: the Real Deal