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Smokers at Atlantic City casinos may find that they are going the way of the dinosaur. In recent days, another Atlantic City casino has announced a smoking ban to protect employees from second-hand smoke.  That puts the total at 7 out of 11 Atlantic City casinos that will no longer allow smoking on the premises.

This move by the majority of casinos is in response to an Atlantic City ordinance passed by city officials last year. The law requires casinos that allow smoking to confine it to a separate smoking lounge. The problem arises because the statute requires that there be no gambling in the smoking lounge. Rather than sacrifice valuable floor space to a non-revenue producing activity, or permit gamblers to be lured from the poker tables and slot machines by nicotine, casinos are opting to eliminate smoking altogether.

The few casino hold-outs are betting that smokers will favor a gambling establishment where they can still light up, even if it’s away from the tables.

Atlantic City is by no means in the minority among cities and states protecting workers and customers from the effects of second-hand smoke.  A number of states have recently enacted workplace smoking bans. Illinois joined the fray in July, with the passage of a smoking ban that goes into effect on January 1, 2008. A similar ban that prohibits smoking in most workplaces in Maryland will go into effect on February 1, 2008.

In the past, many states prohibited smoking in public areas, but permitted it in restaurants, bars and casinos. These laws are slowly being changed, with a number of states adding restaurants, bars and even casinos to the “non-smoking” list. Minnesota already has significant bans on smoking in public areas.

Effective October 1, 2007, a new law that bans smoking in restaurants and bars in Minnesota will go into effect. Montana has passed a similar law, which is slated to go into effect on October 1, 2009.

New Hampshire’s law banning smoking in restaurants and bars goes into effect on September 17, 2007. Oregon’s 100% smoke-free workplace law will become effective on January 1, 2009. That’s the same day that a Utah law banning smoking in bars will go into effect.

Opinions are divided on smoking bans in restaurants and bars. Many workers in the hospitality industry embrace such laws, pointing out that without such measures, employees are exposed to “passive smoking” every work day. Restaurant and bar owners are usually less enthusiastic. They voice fears that they will lose business as people stay home to smoke.

These laws, like all modern smoking bans, are a reaction to an increasing body of research that shows the unhealthy effects of second-hand smoke. A recent study, for example, shows that non-smokers who are married to someone who smokes have a 25% to 30% higher risk of lung cancer, emphysema and other smoking-related disorders, compared to those who are married to non-smokers.

Smoking bans are not a phenomena limited to the U.S. In 2004, Ireland and Norway passed bans on smoking in all public places.  The U.K. passed similar ban in 2007.

The American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation is an anti-smoking group that keeps meticulous records of smoking legislation. According to the group, there are 23 states with some form of state-wide workplace smoking ban in place. These include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

In addition, there are counties and municipalities in almost every state that ban smoking in some form, from Alaska to Wyoming. One state that is notably absent from the list is North Carolina an area where tobacco is a major crop and the tobacco lobby has been especially strong in the past. At least for the present, smokers are welcome almost anywhere in the state.

 

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