Arlington now considers itself “smoke free.”
The city council just approved a smoking ban across all businesses in the city, with once exception: bingo halls. Members of bingo parlors, such as the Knights of Columbus and the Arlington Lions Club, pleaded that banning smoking would drive away business, this placing a dent in the donations usually accumulated through bingo. Because bingo halls are considered “gambling,” they are not considered a public business and are not subject to the smoking ban.
The ban was first proposed to extend to nightclubs, bowling centers, billiard halls, sexually-oriented businesses, and other workplaces that now allow smoking under an exemption. Along with these bingo parlors, other places exempt from the ban include fraternal organizations, private club areas of Globe Life Park, retail cigarette and e-cigarette shops and cigar bars, and outdoor areas at least 50 feet from a building’s working doors and windows.
Via Star Telegram
