Some casinos seeking to hold off A.C. smoking ban

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 nine-member council voted unanimously to upgrade a partial smoking ban to a full one in April. Mayor Scott Evans signed it into law on April 30.

The new law also made it mandatory for casinos that wanted to allow smoking on their properties to build fully enclosed and separately ventilated smoking lounges similar to those at airports. The lounges were not to include any gaming.

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.

The council can reject the request and go ahead with implementing the ban on Oct. 15. If the council votes for a postponement, a second reading would be needed on Oct. 22, and then it would go to a final vote.

Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of Trump Entertainment, said a full ban would be an additional blow to Atlantic City.

"We've already been hit by regional competition and the bad economy," he said. "We cannot absorb a third dagger of a full smoking ban right now."

Year-to-date gaming revenues for Atlantic City have declined 5.2 percent from the same period last year.

Local health groups, who teamed up with casino workers to win passage of the ban in the spring, say the request is a stall tactic by the gambling industry.

"This is another delay in the process to help improve the health for their workers," said Michele Gallagher, spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society for the Eastern Division.