Common variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene cluster on chromosome 15q24-25.1 were associated with lung cancer risk in three recently published independently conducted genome-wide association studies, with no consensus as to the relative impact of the variants on the propensity to smoke vs a direct carcinogenic effect. To further explore our hypothesis that these variants are indeed associated with both cancer causation and nicotine dependence, we performed a more detailed analysis of the association of these putative risk genotypes with smoking phenotype, as well as in lifetime never smokers, and in other smoking-related cancers. We demonstrate a statistically significant association of the variants with both nicotine dependence, as well as lung cancer phenotypes, including earlier age at lung cancer onset. The variants were associated with higher risks of lung cancer in lower smoking-exposed strata, and in individuals with a strong family history of lung or smoking-related cancers. In contrast, we found no evidence that the variants were associated with elevated risks in 547 lifetime never-smoking lung cancer case subjects, nor in other smoking-related cancers (bladder and renal). Thus, we conclude that the variants are implicated both in smoking behavior and more directly in lung cancer risk.