Kansas City Amends Smoking Laws in Casinos

Kansas City voters approved a smoking ban nearly five months ago. The ban has been a source of controversy, however, with certain groups trying to get exempted and others, such as casinos, finding grey areas in the new ban.

That was all taken care of on Thursday. The City Council amended the smoking laws to eliminate the grey area for casinos. They also eased up their restrictions on tobacco shops.

What voters thought they were voting on back in April was a smoking ban that would include all areas of a casino except for the actual gaming floor. The way the law was written, however, lent itself to a grey area that officials at Ameristar Kansas City Casino and Hotel were quick to point out.

That grey area has now been eliminated and smoking will only be legal on the gaming floor, just as the original law had intended. The move is a tough defeat for casinos who are trying to continue to operate their business despite the tough economic times.

Hallways leading up to the gaming floor will now be non-smoking areas. Those are places where people had thought they were able to smoke. The City Council tightened the laws Thursday for casinos, yet they did loosen the law for tobacco shops.

Tobacco shop owners were concerned that the new law would make them go out of business or relocate. The City Council agreed Thursday and loosened the laws for the tobacco shops.

September 26, 2008
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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