A.C. COUNCIL APPROVES PARTIAL SMOKING BAN AT CASINOS
Smokers will still be able to light up in New Jersey's 11
casinos, but they'll have a lot less room in which to do it.
Despite impassioned pleas from smoke-free supporters, city
council on Wednesday approved a partial smoking ban in the
casinos.
Under the new ordinance, approved 6-3, casino officials have
until April 15 to designate 25 percent of the gaming floor for
smoking. They have five months after that to receive approval
from the Department of Community Affairs for plans to enclose
the smoking sections with separate ventilation systems.
The compromise came after several weeks of amendments and
negotiations between council and the casino industry, which
agreed not to challenge the ordinance in court, a move which
could have tied up the ban for years.
The vote drew the ire of a long list of anti-smoking proponents,
from casino workers to organizations such as New Jersey Group
Against Smoking Pollution, the American Cancer Society, the
American Heart Association and the American Lung Association.
