Atlantic City (AP) - Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino will eliminate smoking on its casino floor, bringing to six the number of Atlantic City casinos that will ban smoking while gambling. No timetable was announced, but other casinos said they expected to the changes to take effect at their own facilities by next spring. All 11 casinos here must tell the state by Saturday how they intend to comply with a partial smoking ban enacted by the Atlantic City Council in February mandating that at least 75 percent of the casino floor be smoke-free.

Atlantic City, New Jersey (AP) -- Smokers may soon be out of luck: At least five of Atlantic City's casinos are making gambling areas smoke-free. The move comes in response to a law passed in February requiring gambling floors to be at least 75% smoke-free. The city's 11 casinos must tell the state by Saturday how they plan to comply with the law.

Atlantic City (AP) -- Two Atlantic City casinos, blaming increased competition and a partial smoking ban for sinking profits, are offering buyouts to managers to avoid layoffs, according to a published report today. The president of Resorts Atlantic City and Atlantic City Hilton, both owned by Colony Capital of Los Angeles, said the managers are being offered one week's pay for every year of service with the casinos.

A native-owned casino north of Winnipeg is going smoke-free as part of a deal that will see it double its stable of slot machines and share more money with northern reserves. The expansion project at the South Beach Casino, located on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation near Grand Beach, will increase the number of gaming devices to 600, up from 300. The smoking ban will go into effect almost immediately and the new machines are expected sometime this fall.

Atlantic City - Donald Trump thinks his casinos and others in town deserve a smoking break. Trump wrote to Mayor Bob Levy and City Council President William Marsh on Wednesday calling on the city to repeal a partial casino smoking ban that he claims is scaring away business. In his two-page letter, Trump said gamblers are fleeing Atlantic City en masse for competing casinos in Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut that don't have smoking restrictions.

The Victorian government has defended its decision to continue to allow high rollers to smoke at Crown Casino, despite state-wide bans for all other venues that start on Sunday. From July 1, smoking will be banned in all enclosed licensed pubs, clubs, bars and gaming rooms across Victoria - except high-roller rooms at Crown in Melbourne.

Casino and bingo club operator Rank has warned that the smoking ban coming into force next month is likely to hurt profits in the second half of the year. The owner of Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos said it had seen a "solid start" to the year with 5pc growth in like-for-like sales in the 25 weeks to date. Operating profits also rose, helped by cost-cutting. However, the impact of the smoking ban, which comes into force in public places in England from July 1, is "likely to hold back profit performance in the second half of the year", the company said.

Sun International raised the stakes this past week after opening a new gaming floor at Cape Town's GrandWest Casino - now the largest gambling complex in the southern hemisphere. Thursday's launch of a 5000m² casino for smokers was part of a ZAR 450-million expansion programme, making the city's "Granny" - GrandWest managing director Graham Vass's nickname for the casino - the most ambitious in the country.

Harrisburg - The Senate approved a statewide smoking ban with an amendment that carves out exemptions for smaller liquor licensees, private clubs and 25 percent of the casino gaming floor space where slot machines are located. It is expected to cast a final vote today on the legislation sponsored by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery. The House is poised to consider a smoking ban bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Gerber, D-Montgomery.

Trenton, New Jersey - More than a year after New Jersey's wide-reaching public smoking ban went into effect, the state Senate voted Thursday to close its biggest loophole, which allows smoking in Atlantic City's casinos. The Senate voted 35-0 to eliminate the exemption that allows gamblers to light up in casinos and horse race simulcasting facilities. The Assembly has yet to consider the bill.

When the Victorian Government introduced smoking bans in gaming rooms across the state in September 2002, Tabcorp was caught unawares. "It came very quickly and we didn't have the in-depth customer research that we should have," recalled former chief executive Matthew Slatter. "The impact was very dramatic."

Denver -- It's official. Colorado casinos will be going smoke-free on Jan. 1. Gov. Bill Ritter signed that bill into law, among 14 other measures, Friday afternoon. House Bill 1269 expands the statewide ban to include casinos, which had been exempt. The bill covers the 44 casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek starting Jan. 1.