In April, Atlantic City approved a smoking ban that went into effect on October 15. The regulations stipulated that separate smoking lounges could be set up away from slot machines and table games as long as casinos are sealed and ventilated. Eight of the Atlantic City casinos have already taken this action, but the city council has decided to delay the smoking ban by one year, citing economic conditions.
Casino owners and some workers have been worried that the ban would further reduce their income, which has continued to decline for more than a year. Competition between tribal-owned casinos in Connecticut, which do not restrict smoking, and pharmacies in Pennsylvania, which partially sell smoking slots, has pushed Asian gamers to flock at Taj Mahal casinos during the two-week ban, and casinos are at greater risk of job losses due to further declines in income, which worries some workers.
