Casinos should be smoke-free
This letter is written with regard to the cartoon in the July 3 edition of the Observer-Reporter.
The cartoon conveys the message that many believe the state can get rid of a billion-dollar budget deficit with expanded gambling. I submit that this will never happen as long as the state permits smoking in its many casinos.
I am a native Pennsylvanian currently residing in Maryland. Although we frequently visit friends and relatives in Pennsylvania, we do not game in your casinos because smoking is permitted. When friends and relatives from Pennsylvania and New Jersey visit us they are always eager to game in our smoke-free casinos.
My wife and I frequently game in Maryland and Delaware casinos where smoking is prohibited. We constantly marvel at how the parking lots at these casinos have enormous numbers of cars from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. When I ask people from these states why they travel to our casinos, the answer is always because they can game in smoke-free environments.
When Pennsylvania authorities realize that over 80 percent of our population are nonsmokers and they prohibit smoking in their casinos, they will surely increase their profits. In the meantime, we folks in Maryland welcome the gambling money from Pennsylvania residents. It helps keep our taxes low.
John O’ Hara
Bowie, Md.