The future of smoking at Atlantic City’s nine casinos remains uncertain as lawmakers continue to seek a way to patch the indoor smoking loophole. For as many as 17 years, this exemption in the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, supported by the Democrats, has permitted AC’s casino properties to allow smoking in up to 25% of their gaming floor space.

The exemption has long been a subject of controversies, with some lawmakers seeking to patch it up for years now. The smoking exemption also continues to attract disgruntlement from anti-smoking activists who claim that the current law jeopardizes the health of casino workers.

Two measures, namely Senate Bill 264 and Assembly Bill 2151, seek to put an end to the current loophole and align the casinos to other properties where indoor smoking is prohibited. The measures have been in limbo for many months but have enough support to go to Governor Phil Murphy.

Murphy has previously expressed his support of the measures, saying that he would sign them into law if they reach his desk. Despite the strong support, however, the Democratic Party continues to block the measures.

The Ban Has Many Opponents

New reports claim that the measures may soon be taken out of limbo as New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari will allegedly work on Senate Bill 264 following the November 7 elections.

Anti-smoking parties are signed up for an uphill battle against the Democratic leadership, which hopes to retain its majority in the Senate and Assembly where it holds 25 and 46 seats respectively.

In addition, anti-smoking parties will need to overcome the strong opposition from casino companies, which believe that a smoking ban would hurt their revenues, forcing them to cut as many as 2,500 jobs. Unite Here has compared the smoking ban to suicide, alleging that it would cause AC casinos’ GGR to drop by 11%.

However, proponents of the ban have argued that there is not enough evidence to suggest that the measure would have such a profound effect on the local casino industry.

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Over the last five years, legal sports betting has grown exponentially across the United States. The repeal of PASPA in 2018 started this process and by now, more than 30 states offer some form of legal sports betting, while a handful of states have legalized the activity and anticipate its launch.

Professional sports leagues have also joined the hype, with recognizable sports betting giants sponsoring popular teams and professional athletes participating in commercials. Amid the popularity of betting, the National Football League (NFL) was shaken by scandals and more than a dozen players facing penalties over allegations of breaches related to gambling since the start of the year.

Now, a report released by The Associated Press reveals that some athletes approve of the efforts of the NFL when it comes to education on gambling policies, while others think that those actions came a little too late. Mason Cole, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ center, supported the idea that the policies presented by the NFL when it comes to gambling have been clear. “Nobody wants to be suspended without pay for a year. Nobody is trying to do that, so I think it’s a pretty good deterrent,” explained Cole.

There are currently six primary rules related to gambling introduced by the NFL. In addition to the league, the NFL Players Association also contributed toward education on gambling policies. In general, the rules prohibit athletes from betting on any NFL game or placing bets via third parties. The rules also do not allow fantasy football wagering and prohibit placing bets on other sports while on league property, or while with the team at a hotel, airplane or other team facilities. Despite the established rules, more than a dozen athletes have faced penalties since the start of the year.

Gambling Is All around Athletes

While some agree that the policies on gambling are clear, others criticized the expansion of legal sports betting such as Deatrich Wise Jr., the defensive end for the New England Patriots who said: “You have a team in Vegas that’s pretty much right beside the biggest gambling spot in the world.” He said that outside of radio and TV, he sees information regarding different bets, including fantasy leagues and other gambling activities. The Patriots defensive end added: “So gambling is around us more and more.”

The six rules within the NFL’s gambling policy sounded different last year, added Jerry Jacobs, cornerback for the Detroit Lions. He criticized the policies, explaining that last year the rules were not presented in such a way. According to Jacobs, last year the athletes were only told not to gamble, without the specifics on where that was and wasn’t allowed.

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