Smoking Ban in St. Louis County Casinos?

There's reportedly a push to make area casinos smoke-free and it could take a step closer to reality Tuesday. It's receiving support from a Chesterfield business owner who used to oppose the ban.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County Councilman Mike O’Mara plans to introduce legislation Tuesday to apply the St. Louis County smoking ban to county casinos. (Sign up here for the FREE Patch Newsletter, including Breaking News Alerts.) The article reports that O’Mara wants to remove all exemptions from the county's smoking ban, and that includes River City Casino and Hollywood Casino St. Louis. O'Mara cited the health issue of smoke and was also quoted making the following statement in the Post-Dispatch article. “My goal is to get this ordinance cleaned up so that everyone in the county is on a level playing field,” O’Mara, D-Florissant, said Friday. “I’ve heard from too many owners of bars and restaurants who have …

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News With a View

Return to Smitty's: Has the Smoking Ban Helped or Hurt?

A cloud of smoke used to hang in the air at Smitty's. But now it's gone and employees say thus far business is good.

In November, I wrote about how I was looking forward to retiring my Smitty's clothes after the St. Louis County smoking ban went into effect. The smoke was so thick when I ate there every Thursday that I had to wear clothes I could strip off and stuff in the washing machine the second I got home. Smitty’s, the neighborhood bar and restaurant tucked into the corner of the Baxter Bend shopping center at Clayton and Baxter Roads, is a lot like places that were on every other corner in South St. Louis 30 years ago. There is a bar on one side and tables for good food on the other. Before the ban, there was lots of smoke hanging in the air. When I spoke to her in November, bartender Christine Grgic predicted the smoking ban would mean more …

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Chesterfield Patrons, Restaurant Owners React to St. Louis County Smoking Ban

Several seemed hopeful the ban, which went into effect Sunday, might improve business.

As of Sunday, St. Louis County is mostly smoke free. The county's smoking ban, which was approved by voters in November 2009, prohibits smoking in most public areas. There are few exemptions to the ban such, as private residences, private clubs, tobacco stores, casino gaming areas and other permanently designated smoking rooms. The new law's stated aim is to promote the health, safety and welfare of the residents of St. Louis County as well as create smoke-free environments for workers, patrons and visitors within the county. Owners and patrons of Chesterfield restaurants generally reacted positively to the ban, but some admitted it might slow business. Terry Wente, owner of Wente's O& W, said he expects his loyal customers to continue …

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