In our spotlight on Business report tonight, GOP Assembly members are calling Democrats bluff in their effort to close a smoking ban loophole that New Jersey's casinos.

Pledging to cross party lines for a vote and even urging the state's health commissioner to get involved.

It comes as bills to pass a ban have failed to make it through the legislature.

And advocates are accusing Democratic sponsors of political showboating.

Ted Goldberg has the latest.

We're like a caged animal.

We're like a cornered animal fighting for our lives.

Casino workers in Atlantic City are criticizing Democrats for not doing enough to ban smoking in casinos.

Joining a chorus of state Republicans in the assembly who met with them last week.

The Democrats have been saying for years that they don't have the votes from the other side of the aisle.

So now they have the votes from the other side of the aisle.

So what what is your excuse?

What is your reason for not getting this done?

When people tell me what you know that they support us, I truly believe that they support us.

I don't know what political games people are playing with each other, but I all know that those workers that are working in that casino exposed to second hand smoke are getting cancer and dying.

Borgata dealer Nicole Vitola has testified to inhaling second hand smoke while she was pregnant, and she's frustrated that a bipartisan bill has stalled in Trenton that would close the casino loophole in the Smoke Free Air Act.

All the support is there behind the scenes.

It's the leaders that can actually put the bills up for a vote that are holding it back.

It's the difficult, controversial bills that always seem to take time.

This one is taking too much time.

Senator Joseph Vitale has called it barbaric that the state allows smoking on 25% of casino floors, but says there's no use to bring a vote when he's not sure he has the votes.

We always try to count to 21 before we have a bill request to be posed for a photo by the Senate but didn't have the votes.

I wouldn't request it because that would be kind of silly and be a waste of everyone's time.

Meanwhile, in the assembly.

Do you know if the Assembly has the votes to pass this?

The bill is bipartisan.

I have not counted votes as yet.

I know that there are multiple Democrats supporting the bill and we have lots of Republicans in support of the bill.

A similar bill has not made it out of committee.

Republicans have criticized Department of Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston calling for her to unilaterally close the loophole.

Yesterday, she released a statement which says in part, When the legislature passed the 25 New Jersey Smokefree Air Act casino workers were excluded from its protections because smoking in casinos is expressly permitted by statute.

I do not have the authority to amend or eliminate this statutory provision.

Only the legislature has that power.

In my opinion, the commissioner's inaction is sentencing these workers to a cancer diagnosis, or even worse.

Assemblyman Chris DePhillips says the least she could do is not defend smoking on casino floors in court.

The governor is talking out of both sides of his mouth.

It's pure disgusting, the worst aspect of politics.

Nancy Erika Smith is lead counsel for a casino.

Workers suing to close the loophole.

The lawsuit was dismissed in September, but their repealing governor, Phil Murphy, has said he'd sign into law a bill banning smoking in casinos.

But Smith questions that.

He could have easily taken that legal document and said, I'm not defending the casinos, poisoning their workers anymore.

Instead, the taxpayers lawyers are in court saying, we think casino profits are more important than worker health.

The governor has said in the past that his administration is obligated to defend the laws in court, even if he disagrees with them.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.