Smoke Free Slot Machines

There are several anti-smoking groups, and they have spent their time as of late getting everything they possibly can smoke free. This in itself is not a bad thing, as any slot machine operator can tell you. They say that they are trapped inside all day with smokers and it is affecting their health. However, it will also affect the casinos’ bottom line if people are not allowed to smoke there.

Atlantic City is looking at the possibility of being completely smoke free someday, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. The city is busy competing with neighboring states that are now allowing slot machines, and the casinos and the state are trying to hold onto their revenue. By making the city smoke free, it will only serve to send more of their paying customers back over to PA where they can still smoke while they play their slot machines.

This week, the AC Council is going to vote on a measure that would require all of the casinos to be 75% smoke free. They had been talking about eliminating it all together, but they felt this was a good compromise. The casino employees and anti smoking groups felt that the council had bowed to gaming industry pressure and claimed that they didn’t care about the casino workers.

Not so says the council, for they are aware that if they go smoke free at the casinos that slot machine revenues are going to drop. If those numbers start dropping, you are going to start seeing a lot of casino employees out of jobs. Not only that, but the state of New Jersey depends on the slot machine revenue, and without it taxes are going to have to go up.

So while all of these people are fighting to get their casinos smoke free, it might behoove them to look at the big picture – for their narrow sightedness is going to cost them a nice chunk of change out of their pockets come tax time.

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