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Editorial: More tribes should go smoke-free at gaming facilities

A statewide poll last year found 86 percent of respondents approve of the state’s law requiring smokers to step outside of bars and restaurants to light up. That includes a majority — 59 percent — of smokers, according to the Public Opinion Strategies poll of 600 people.

In addition, the American Cancer Society points to convincing evidence of significant health benefits, including fewer respiratory problems for bartenders and lower tobacco use among young people who no longer see adults lighting up at bowling alleys, restaurants and other settings.

On top of that, fewer smokers are smoking inside their homes. The healthy habit of stepping outside as a courtesy to nonsmokers — some of them children — has extended far beyond the tavern.

Yet for years, American Indian casinos have continued to allow cigarette smoking (though many facilities cordon off sections for patrons who don’t like it).

The Ho-Chunk gambling hall in Madison this month became the first casino in Wisconsin to go totally smoke-free, according to the tribe. A survey of customers apparently prompted the change.