NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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.
– by AP Reporter Cain Burdeau
