ap photo This Feb. 10 photo shows a gambler smoking while playing a slot machine at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City N.J. A report released Feb. 23 by the Casino Association of New Jersey says a proposed smoking ban at Atlantic City’s casinos could lead to the loss of 2,500 casino jobs and almost 11 percent of the casinos’ revenue.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Amid a renewed push to ban smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos, a new report released Wednesday predicts that doing so could cost up to 2,500 casino jobs and nearly 11% of casinos’ revenue as they struggle to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

The independent gambling research firm Spectrum Gaming Group compiled the report that supports casinos’ longstanding contention that eliminating smoking would hurt their business, deprive New Jersey of tax revenue and put thousands of people out of work.

A group of casino workers and smoking opponents criticized the report, saying it prioritizes profits over the health of employees and customers. They also said it fails to examine what would happen in subsequent years as patrons get used to a smoking ban, citing the experience of some tribal casinos where it rebounded.

The Casino Association of New Jersey commissioned the report, which did not recommend whether smoking should be banned, an option that is gaining renewed support in the state Legislature. New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, has said he will sign a smoking ban into law if a bill is passed.

Among other findings, it determined that smokers, who account for 21% of Atlantic City gamblers, are worth more to casinos than non-smokers in that they tend to lose more money and spend more on non-gambling items.

Joe Lupo, president of the casino association and of Atlantic City’s Hard Rock casino, said Atlantic City “faces some very dire issues.”

He said casino employment and visitation to Atlantic City are both at 20-year lows, and in-person gambling revenue has yet to return to pre-COVID levels, down 5% in 2021 compared to 2019.

“Now is not the time to enact a smoking ban,” he said, adding that doing so “could cause a devastating effect to the community and state.”

Nicole Vitola, a Borgata dealer and a leader of the group pushing for a smoking ban, said workers “cannot continue to choose between our health and a paycheck.”

“This study, paid for by the casino industry, shows once again that they care more about outdated business practices than they do about the lives and health of their workers,” she said. “Casinos’ blatant disregard for our well-being is disgraceful, especially after they just received tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks from the state.”

The group Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights cited a July tribal gambling conference in Las Vegas at which panelists reported that revenue lost during the first year of smoking bans rebounded in subsequent years to higher than what it was before the bans.

They also cited a comment last fall from Bill Miller, president of the American Gaming Association, that some casinos have enacted smoking bans “without detrimental effects.”