The dull smell of smoke greets gamblers as they get to the top of the escalator leading to the casino floor of the Tropicana Hotel & Casino.

Bob Hafner, 56, of Long Beach Island, welcomes the haze and his contribution to it.

Hafner’s happy playing the slots while puffing away at a Cheyenne slim cigar, made, he noted, with only organic ingredients. He said he is doubtful that lawmakers will pass a total ban on smoking, an effort that reaches back two decades.

The New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee is scheduled to vote Monday on a smoking ban that would close the loophole that allows smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos while banning smoking in other public places, including restaurants and bars.