Smokers take away from Vegas fun

Wayne Obermeyer, Powell River, British Columbia

Friday, March 16, 2012 | 2 a.m.

I was just in your city with four other couples for the NASCAR Kobalt 400 race. We had a pretty nice stay. We saw “Jersey Boys,” which was great. The men went to the race, which also was great.

There was one problem, though. We’re not big gamblers, but we wanted to do a little, but the tobacco smoke in the casinos was awful. We wound up gambling very little and only playing a bit of slots for a short period. That was it. I wanted to play some card games but couldn’t stand the smoke. Ten people didn’t bother spending money in the casinos because of this issue, and I know we’re not alone.

I know all the arguments and the right of freedom to choose, but it seems to me with all the information about health issues around this topic, the state of Nevada (yes, it’s a political issue) or the casino owners would do something about it. A smoke-free environment would do everyone a lot of good — the employees of the casinos along with the customers. Other states and countries are dealing with this issue and succeeding. Smokers will whine about it for a while, but they will find a way to adjust. We did have fun and may be back but certainly not to gamble.