Atlantic City Casino Workers Say Gov. Murphy Can Cement ‘Legacy’ by Banning Smoking
Posted on: December 29, 2025, 07:47h.
Last updated on: December 29, 2025, 07:47h.
- Atlantic City casino workers continue to pressure Gov. Murphy to ban indoor tobacco
- Murphy says he would sign a bill to ban casino smoking
Atlantic City casino employees seeking workplaces free of toxic secondhand smoke are calling on New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) to force the state Legislature to vote on bills that have bipartisan support to end the indoor casino smoking loophole.
In what is essentially a last-ditch effort in the two-term governor’s final days in office, CEASE, or Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects, has requested that Murphy “forcefully” call on leaders in the General Assembly and Senate to vote on the smoking bills. The legislation, which would amend the 2006 Smoke-Free Air Act that included workarounds to allow casinos in Atlantic City to designate up to 25% of their gaming floors for tobacco use, has garnered strong support over the past few sessions, but Democratic leaders have been blamed for holding up the bills.
As you near the end of your term in office, we are asking that you forcefully call on New Jersey’s legislative leaders to send the existing bipartisan legislation to close the casino smoking loophole to your desk so you can protect workers’ health and cement your legacy as a governor who stands by his constituents,” CEASE wrote Murphy.
The CEASE petition to the governor was signed by 160 casino workers who work as table game dealers and other frontline gaming workers.
CEASE Smoking Petition
CEASE was formed after Murphy lifted his COVID-19 emergency declaration and indoor casino smoking was allowed to return in Atlantic City on July 4, 2021. CEASE chapters have since expanded to other states where casino smoking remains, including Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kansas, Nevada, and Michigan.
A study published in 2022 from the since-defunct gaming consultancy C3 Gaming found that smoke-free casinos are just as competitive as smoking venues. The report suggested that with declining smoking rates, smoke-free casinos are attractive to a growing number of gamblers. The study found that smoke-free casinos also benefit employers with lower health insurance costs.
As smoking rates continue to decline, casinos that allow smoking indoors are increasingly out of step with public opinion,” the CEASE letter declared. “In a Gallup survey, just 11% of Americans reported having smoked a cigarette in the past week. The Surgeon General’s report states that 75% of adults, including frequent casino visitors, favor smokefree policies.”
A competing study from prominent gaming consultancy Spectrum Gaming that same year, however, found just the opposite. Spectrum researchers concluded that a smoking ban in Atlantic City would lead to lower gaming revenue and job losses of 1,201 to 2,512 positions.
Annual gross gaming revenue at the nine physical casinos was projected to drop by as much as 10.9%.
Murphy Response
Reached by the Press of Atlantic City for comment on the CEASE plea, a Murphy spokesperson said the governor remains committed to signing legislation to ban Atlantic City casino smoking should a bill reach his desk.
“The health and safety of New Jersey’s casino workers remains a priority,” the spokesperson said.
Unlike most state lawmaking bodies, the New Jersey Legislature functions in two-year cycles. The current Legislature, which began in January 2024, runs through Jan. 12, 2026.
Murphy’s successor, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2026. Sherrill has also expressed support for signing a casino smoking ban.
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