Smoking inside casinos in Pennsylvania may soon be a think of the past.
House Bill 1657 would add all workplaces and public spaces to the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act.
The bill eliminates indoor smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, from bars, casinos and private clubs, a loophole from the act passed in 2008.
State Representative Dan Frankel of Allegheny County introduced the bill.
Critics of the bill say that banning smoking at bars and casinos may lead to a loss of business.
But Representative Frankel says, “I don’t think you that you would see restaurants going back to having smoke in their establishments, it’s been good for this business, it’s been for their employees, it’s been good for their patrons.”
Frankel adds that second-hand smoke forces thousands of Pennsylvanians to choose between employment and their health.
21 states currently have workplace smoking bans that cover restaurants, bars and gambling establishments.