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At least three major companies that represent more than half of the 11 casinos in Atlantic City are requesting that the City Council postpone a full smoking ban in the resort's gambling halls that is set to begin Oct. 15.
The last-ditch effort to halt the controversial ban reflects the mounting anxiety among Atlantic City gaming operators as regional slots competition and a deteriorating economy that have cut consumer discretionary spending have hit Atlantic City hard. . . .
The companies calling for a postponement of a full ban on smoking include Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., which owns Trump Plaza, Trump Marina and Trump Taj Mahal, and Boyd Gaming Corp., co-owner of the resort's top-grossing Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Resorts International Holdings L.L.C., the subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital L.L.C. that owns the Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City casinos, was also in favor of a postponement.
Their request is on the agenda for Wednesday's 5 p.m. hearing in council chambers.
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Plans to make Atlantic City the first major casino market in the country completely smoke-free may be delayed amid warnings by Donald Trump and other gaming executives that it could devastate business.
City Council, at its meeting Wednesday, is expected to debate and possibly vote on whether to hold off having the smoking ban take effect Oct. 15. Mayor Scott Evans said he would be open to delaying the ban, but will leave the decision to council.
Evans noted that by postponing the ban, Atlantic City may be able to preserve jobs and protect the casinos from the nation's unfolding economic crisis. But he added that casino employees would continue to be exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Councilman Marty Small, whose ward includes five of the city's 11 casinos, said he has had discussions with gaming representatives about possibly suspending the smoking ban until the economy gets stronger. . . .
Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., the company that operates the three Trump casinos, said the gaming industry is unified in its belief that the smoking ban should be delayed.
"I think the most devastating thing is, if they are still allowed to smoke at casinos in Pennsylvania, it puts us at a very competitive disadvantage," Juliano said.
With the economy crumbling and revenues plunging, the city may put off the Oct. 15 start of a blanket ban on smoking in casinos to avoid further losses.
The ban, opposed by casino owners but supported by workers, was approved in April before Wall Street melted down. The City Council is scheduled Wednesday to consider a delay.
"Smoking is not healthy. Smoking kills people," said Bob McDevitt, president of the city's largest casino workers union, Unite-Here Local 54. "So does job loss, unemployment and the threat of foreclosure. People will lose their ability to feed their families."
But Jennifer Guillermain, an 18-year supervisor at Caesars Atlantic City, said many workers in the city's 11 casinos feel betrayed by the possibility of postponement. They will turn out in force at Wednesday night's meeting to try to persuade the council to keep the ban in place, she said. . . .
Donald Trump was a little more pointed last week during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the second hotel tower at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino resort.
"The smoking ban will take tens of millions of dollars of taxes away, will take tens of millions of dollars of aid away to senior citizens," he said. "It's going to be a disaster."
Casinos finished the summer season by eking out a tiny increase in August revenue. But don't break out the champagne just yet - revenue is still down for the year. . . .
"We're expecting revenues to continue to decline for the rest of the year," Morowitz said. "In Atlantic City, it is specifically due to the full smoking ban coming online."
Smoking is currently limited to 25 percent of the gaming floor, but will be completely banned starting Oct. 15 under a new law passed by City Council. Most of the casinos will try to accommodate smokers by allowing them to light up in lounges that don't have slot machines or gaming tables. Industry leaders are predicting a further drop in revenue because they believe more customers will flee Atlantic City for gaming markets that don't have smoking restrictions.
"I would expect another 5 percent drop, in spite of the smoking lounges and other ways we are trying to make it as comfortable as possible for people to smoke," Tolosa said.
"How do you tell it's deceptive or not if you don't look at what the relationship is between smoking and health?," Chief Justice John Roberts said during oral arguments on the case.
Three Maine residents sued Altria Group Inc. and its Philip Morris USA Inc. subsidiary under the state's law against unfair marketing practices. The class-action claim represents all smokers of Marlboro Lights or Cambridge Lights cigarettes, both made by Philip Morris.
The lawsuit argues that the company knew for decades that smokers of light cigarettes compensate for the lower levels of tar and nicotine by taking longer puffs and compensating in other ways.