• Smoking remains inside all nine casinos in Atlantic City
• Some Atlantic City casino workers hope New Jersey’s next governor, Mikie Sherrill, supports ending the casino smoking allowance

US Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) will soon be relocating from Washington to Trenton to become the next governor of New Jersey following her surprisingly easy victory on Election Day over Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

A blackjack gambler blows cigarette smoke toward the dealer. Some Atlantic City casino workers hope New Jersey’s next governor, Mikie Sherrill, will extinguish indoor smoke from the nine resorts. (Image: Casino.org)

Sherrill, now New Jersey governor-elect, has served in Congress since January 2019. The Virginia-born attorney turned politician has called New Jersey home since 2010.

In what was predicted to be a close gubernatorial race, Sherrill collected almost 1.8 million votes, or more than 56% of the ballots cast. Ciattarelli underperformed, with just 43% of the vote.

For Atlantic City casino employees who wish to work in an environment free of secondhand smoke, Sherrill’s win has largely been viewed as a positive. Sherrill has stated that she would support legislation to amend New Jersey’s 2006 clean indoor air law that provided exemptions for casinos and parimutuel betting facilities.

Smoke and Mirrors?

Sherrill will succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who also expressed support for forcing the nine Atlantic City casinos to go smoke-free. Murphy, however, said it’s a complicated matter and believes the casinos’ talking points, which include claims that a smoking ban would lead to reduced gaming revenue and thousands of job losses, must be considered.

CEASE, or Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects, disputes those assertions and argues their health should outweigh profits anyway. Last year, Sherrill said at a town hall hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Madison campus that “younger people don’t smoke cigarettes” in her support for forcing gamblers to move outside to light up.

Atlantic City isn’t the only place where casino gamblers can smoke cigars and cigarettes. In neighboring Pennsylvania, casinos can designate areas of their gaming floors for tobacco use.

Casino smoking is prohibited in other parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including in Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and New York.

Casino Lobby

The casino industry has significant influence in Trenton and will lobby state lawmakers to keep the status quo as it relates to smoking. The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ), which represents the interests of the nine casinos at the state Legislature, will seek to defend the industry’s smoking privileges.

A pure smoking ban is one of the greatest threats to our business,” CANJ President Mark Giannantonio, who is also the head of Resorts, told North Jersey last year.

A CANJ-commissioned study concluded that 2,500 casino jobs could be cut if a smoking ban is implemented in Atlantic City.

In-person casino revenue was down 1.1% in 2024. The market has improved in 2025, with gross gaming revenue from physical slots and table games up 2.5% through September. The casinos have won $2.2 billion down the shore through nine months.

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