New Jersey and union ask judge to dismiss anti-smoking lawsuit targeting Atlantic City casinos

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Atlantic City’s main casino workers union and the New Jersey attorney general on Monday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a different union that seeks to ban smoking at the city’s nine casinos. “A balance needs to be reached that will both protect worker health and preserve good jobs.” DeCaprio said a total smoking ban would be “catastrophic” for Atlantic City, adding that between 50 to 72% of all gambling revenue won from in-person gamblers comes from smoking sections. “A total smoking ban would place thousands of jobs at risk, endangering the wages, health and welfare benefits and retirement benefits of Local 54 members and their families,” the union wrote in its court filing. “Instead of fighting for the health and safety of workers, Local 54 is battling in a court of law to allow casinos to keep poisoning their members with toxic secondhand smoke,” she said.