Donald Trump repeal of casino smoking ban
Donald Trump wrote to Mayor Bob Levy and City Council President William Marsh on Wednesday calling on the city to repeal a partial casino smoking ban that he claims is scaring away business. In his two-page letter, Trump said gamblers are fleeing Atlantic City en masse for competing casinos in Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut that don’t have smoking restrictions. “The negative impact of the city ordinance is even more than the mere loss of a large number of smoking patrons to Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut casinos and the perhaps permanent decline in Atlantic City gaming revenue,” Trump wrote. “It also requires that each casino operator expend millions of dollars to enclose its gaming floor smoking areas with structures which will significantly obstruct the customary flow of gaming patron activity and at the same time look absolutely terrible.” Atlantic City’s partial ban, which took effect on April 15, limits smoking to no more than 25 percent of the gaming floor at the 11 casinos. Smoking is off-limits in the remaining 75 percent of the gaming space. 
Marsh said Wednesday evening he had not yet seen Trump’s letter but noted that the 75-25 smoking compromise was supported by the Casino Association of New Jersey, the gaming industry trade group that includes the three Trump casinos. “At this point, I think the 75-25 split is very favorable,” Marsh said. “That is something that the Casino Association supported along with the majority of the casinos. So at this point, I don’t know if Mr. Trump has additional information that we don’t have.” Levy, who also said Wednesday evening he had not yet seen Trump’s letter, stated that it would first be up to City Council to repeal the partial smoking ban. Only then would he have to decide whether to use his mayoral veto power.