Smokers beware, lungs rejoice. Pennsylvania’s Clean Indoor Air Act goes into effect Thursday. The law bans cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking in restaurants, office buildings, schools, sports arenas, Bingo halls and bus stations among other local locations. Even though there are some exceptions to the ban, health advocates said the law is a start. Jeanne Fignar, the policy and research coordinator for the Partnership for a Tobacco Free Northeast PA, said several efforts have been made...

Hans Nansen of Carlsbad sometimes suggests to friends that they go out to a casino, but he gets an immediate objection. “We want to go out there, but 'Oh, God, the smoke,' ” he said. “I can only stand it so long.” Thirteen years after California banned smoking in most workplaces, there's one public place where people regularly light up: tribal casinos. A survey of more than 1,700 Southern California gamblers released last week by J.D. Power and Associates found that 85 percent would prefer a nonsmoking environment at their casinos.

Cripple Creek, Colorado - Cripple Creek officials said they won't enforce the statewide smoking ban at casinos that claim they are exempt. A letter written by the Cripple Creek city administrator said, "The City believes that the spirit and intent of the 2007 amendment to the [Colorado Clean Indoor Air] Act, which took effect January 1, 2008 was to prohibit smoking in casinos.

Governor Edward G. Rendell signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act, which will protect Pennsylvanians from the deadly health effects of secondhand smoke by prohibiting smoking in most public places, including restaurants, workplaces and a portion of casino floors. "All Pennsylvanians will benefit from the persistence of advocates and legislators who refused to quit working until we had joined dozens of other states in banning smoking in most public places,"...

Where there's smoke, there's a potential jackpot. Or so it seems at Arizona's 22 casinos, which are on Native American land, where state anti-smoking laws don't apply. But in an age when an estimated 80 percent of Americans don't smoke, tribal casinos are investing in smoke-clearing equipment to keep non-smokers happy and playing the slots. "It's a business decision casinos are making," said Sheila Morago, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.

The anti smoking law, which is being applied in a progressive way since January in Germany, threatens the existence of casinos in favor of illegal gambling halls and Internet bets, according to information released by Focus magazine. Spokesman of the Federation of German Casinos (DeSIA), Matthias Hein, affirmed that in the next three years three to five casinos will close. “Four of five casino customers smoke.

Atlantic City, New Jersey (AP) - No Atlantic City casino will go totally smoke-free this fall to comply with a tough new smoking law, the casinos said Tuesday. Ten casinos said they are planning to build the enclosed, non-gambling smoking lounges permitted under the law, and the eleventh said it is leaning that way. The only casino that has not explicitly said it will build smoking lounges is the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

Atlantic City - Gamblers on the floors of Atlantic City casinos will soon have to give up at least one vice: smoking. Ending a battle that lasted more than a year, the City Council voted 9-0 Wednesday to end the last major loophole to a tough statewide ban on smoking in public buildings that had conspicuously exempted gambling halls. But patrons still will be able to light up in unstaffed smoking lounges away from the table games and slot machines if the 11 individual casinos choose to build them.

Atlantic City, New Jersey (AP) -- Two years after New Jersey banned smoking in most public buildings, smoking opponents are optimistic that the last groups not covered by the law -- casino workers and patrons -- could soon enjoy its protections as well. The City Council is expected to give final approval next week to a total smoking ban on the 11 casino floors. Smoking would still be permitted in enclosed smoking lounges where there would be no gambling.

With the smoking ban, higher taxes and Government U-turns, the odds look to be stacked against casino operators like Liverpool’s Genting Stanley. But its top man, Peter Brooks, says he is determined the business will defy those odds and hold on to its position as the UK’s leading casino operator. It’s a tough time to be in the casino business, an industry which is not always the most popular in the press or with some of the nation’s self-appointed moral guardians.

Atlantic City - Last minute changes to an ordinance originally designed to outlaw smoking in resort casinos now would limit smoking to non-gaming lounges. Recent discussions among City Council members and some casino officials altered plans to propose a full casino smoking ban today, instead settling with a ban on all gaming floors and the threat of a full ban if smoking lounges are not built within 90 days of the law's passage.

East St. Louis, Illinois - The Casino Queen in East St. Louis is reporting that its business is down, and executives are blaming Illinois' smoking ban. Initially, the USD 92 million new casino, which opened last summer, saw revenues increase from the smaller boat, but business has declined since January 1st when the state's ban on smoking in public places took effect. Casino manager tom Monaghan says the drop in business has been devastating.