"Now we seem to be in an unknown zone," said Councilman Bruce Ward, who led the legislative charge for the ban and against Wednesday's measure.

The packed council chambers were divided among supporters of the ban and a large group of workers worried about layoffs. City Hall's lobby also was filled with others who were blocked from entering by fire officials, who said the room was filled to capacity.

Inside the second-floor room, some held signs that read, "Keep your promise" and "Kill the bill."

Members of the United Auto Workers union, which represents many resort dealers and opposes the delay, wore shirts that stated: "I'm from Atlantic City and I want to work."

Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., and Larry Mullin, president and chief operating officer of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, were the only two casino executives to address council in support of the delay.

"Now is the wrong time," Juliano said, assuring council members this was not an instance of "corporate greed" but the preservation of jobs. "Timing is the issue. Not whether to implement (the restrictions), but when to do so."

After the meeting, Mullin said he appeared before the council because he didn't want hide behind the bill.

"This is obviously an emotional time for everyone involved," he said.

Paula Cifelli, a Caesars dealer and Galloway Township resident, argued to the council that voting for a delay would not save jobs.

"They're always threatening about cutbacks, but they've already made their decisions," she said. "They're happening now."

Though Ward and other anti-smoking advocates held hope that a vote could be overturned on second reading, one of the ban's leading advocates said the long-fought effort was dead.

"It's over," said Vince Rennich, a 26-year Tropicana Casino and Resort employee fired from his job last year during a series of layoffs. Rennich has been diagnosed with lung cancer, an illness he blames on exposure to secondhand smoke in the casino.

"It will never be a good time for (the casinos)," he continued. "It will come back next year and it will be the same story."

Rennich addressed council just before the vote, comparing casino executives reading from prepared statements to anti-smoking workers who "speak from the heart." He then asked council members to vote immediately, cheering on the possibility of a swing vote among the group.

But that vote never swung.

Tensions ran high before the vote, with various outbursts leading to threats by Marsh to bypass the comment portion and go straight to a vote.

Emotions erupted after the meeting, mostly between members of the UAW and Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of UNITE-HERE, which represents casino service workers and supports the delay.

McDevitt was immediately targeted as he left council chambers, with several UAW members shouting at him, including one incident laced with profanities and almost coming to blows.

"You don't care who lives and who dies!" one woman shouted at him.

McDevitt lobbied hard for the delay in the days leading up to the vote, hoping to protect the jobs of his workers who are not directly affected by casino smoke.

Wednesday's vote adds another page to a legislative battle that has stretched across two years.

Council balked at a full ban last year and compromised with a partial ban allowing smoking on 25 percent of gaming floors. The full ban was then pushed again and ultimately approved, driven by council's frustrations with industry executives dragging their feet to implement the partial ban.

The measure, if approved on second reading, will still force casinos to abide by the initial 75 percent ban. That requirement, Ward said, is another confusing aspect to the delay.

"Many of these casinos were not ready, how are they going to be ready by Oct. 15?" he said. "This has been lost in the shuffle."

E-mail Michael Clark:

Michael.Clark@pressofac.com

How they voted:

For the delay

Marty Small

Tim Mancuso

George Tibbitt

John Schultz

Dennis Mason

Against the delay

William Marsh

Bruce Ward

Eugene Robinson

Steven Moore