Pennsylvania Bill Would Ban Smoking at Casinos

Two Pennsylvania legislators plan on introducing legislation that would ban smoking and vaping at the state’s casinos as well as potentially allowing for cities and local governments to enforce stricter smoking bans of their own.

Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, and Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, have announced a new bill titled Protecting Workers from Secondhand Smoke Act. The pair announced the proposed legislation on Wednesday, though the text of the bill is not available.

According to a press release, the bill would:

• Eliminate loopholes in the Clean Indoor Air Act that leave workers exposed to cancerous secondhand smoke.
• Expand the definition of smoking to include e-cigarettes in order to combat the increase in vaping-related illnesses.
• Give all localities the ability to enact smoke-free ordinances that are more protective than state law.

There is another bill that would seek to modify the amount of space a Pennsylvania casino could designate as a smoking area, but that bill does not ban smoking in casinos.