After a Year of Stalling, NJ Senate Must Vote On Smokefree Casino Legislation
Advocates Call On New Jersey Senate to Pass Smokefree Bill a Year After Its Committee Approval
Trenton, NJ – On this day one year ago, the New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee voted to pass Senate bill S1493 out of committee and move it on to the full New Jersey Senate for consideration. S1493 would extend smokefree protections to all casinos and gaming facilities, closing the casino smoking loophole once and for all. Despite having the opportunity for a full Senate vote for a year now, the bill has remained in limbo as New Jersey senators turn a blind eye to casino workers’ and patrons’ pleas.
“For the last year, the New Jersey Senate has sat on Senate bill S1493. This year of inaction suggests that policymakers' expressions of concern for working people's health is merely empty rhetoric,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “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 U.S. 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.”
A majority of Senators has expressed support for smokefree policies — a majority that we believe will lead to the passage of the bill if the full Senate is given such a chance. On the anniversary of S1493’s referral, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights calls on the New Jersey Senate to finally put the bill up for a vote and pass life-changing legislation for all workers in New Jersey.
Background
In 2024, the Surgeon General released a comprehensive report underscoring the dangers of secondhand smoke and the critical need for smokefree environments, including casinos. The report highlights broad public support with 75% of adults – including frequent casino visitors — favoring these policies. The Surgeon General further emphasizes: “Failure to protect employees in these settings risks exacerbating health disparities among casino and hospitality workers relative to workers who are protected by workplace smokefree policies. State, territorial, local, and tribal smokefree laws that apply to casinos would protect these employees as well as visitors from the health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke.”
Tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure kills nearly 500,000 Americans every year. Secondhand smoke puts adults who don’t smoke at risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke. Even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. Completely eliminating smoking is the only way to fully protect people who do not smoke from secondhand smoke exposure.”
A Normington Petts poll from late 2023 finds that nearly three-in-four adults (74%) say they’re more likely to visit an entirely smokefree casino, while only 26% were less likely. Among non casino-goers, even more (76%) are more likely to visit a smokefree Atlantic City casino. Pennsylvanians (76%) and New Jerseyans (71%) living in the Philadelphia area are also more likely to visit a casino if it is smokefree. “These data indicate that not only will Atlantic City not lose its customer base, but tourism could actually increase if casinos were smokefree,” said Jill Normington, Partner at Normington Petts, who conducted the poll. Read the polling memo here.
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Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for almost 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