Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

New Orleans mayor signs ban on smoking in casinos, bars

Harrah's New Orleans

Cheryl Gerber / AP

Harrah’s Casino stands at the foot of Canal and Poydras Streets in New Orleans Dec. 5, 2000. Touted eight years ago as a potential economic savior for the city, the casino has turned into a political and employment nightmare that some wish they could forget.

NEW ORLEANS — In three months it will no longer be legal to smoke in bars and while gambling in the Big Easy.

On Friday, Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed into law a new ordinance doing away with smoking inside bars, gambling halls, stadiums and hotels. It will be a big change for a famously libertine city.

The ban in New Orleans is sparking discussion in Baton Rouge and Lafayette about whether those cities should pass their own smoking restrictions.

In New Orleans, there are more than 500 bars within the city limits and several large gambling establishments, including a Harrah's casino next to the French Quarter and a horse racing track.

Bars and the gambling industry sought to stop the ban but failed. They said a smoking ban would hurt business.

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