Pennsylvania temporarily bans smoking inside casinos

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has announced its decision to temporarily ban guests from smoking inside the state’s casinos.

According to Doug Harbach, the spokesperson for the gambling authority, the reason behind this guideline is an expanded face-covering order signed by Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on June 1.

Many casinos had already proactively halted indoor smoking and setup outdoor areas for customers as they reopened across the state once their home county reached the green phase of Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, PennLive reports.

"In reading that order, it became evident that there were very few exceptions to where a mask must be worn and that there was no exception to pulling down the mask in order to smoke," Harbach told the outlet. 

"As a result, the Gaming Control Board executive director communicated with all of the casinos and, while recognizing that some casinos had already decided to have a complete smoking ban, informed them that he saw the Health Department order regarding masks to therefore require that there be no indoor smoking at their facilities."

Casinos in Pennsylvania are limited to 50 percent of their capacity and anyone who enters one must wear a mask. They can only be removed when a customer is eating or drinking unless they have a medical reason not to wear one at any time.