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A bill that should smoking is prohibited in the casino Iowa’s gaming floors aren’t going anywhere this week, after a Senate subcommittee voted to shelve the proposal indefinitely.
The law, Senate File 2051introduced as “An Act relating to the repeal of the exemption of sports grounds from the restrictions of the smokefree air Act.” The bill proposes changing state law by amending Iowa Code section 142D.4 “by striking the subsection” that currently allows smoking on certain sports floors.
The Iowa casino smoking ban bill would have applied to all types of indoor public places
Under the proposal, casinos and racetracks covered by Iowa Code chapter 99F would lose their exemption that currently allows smoking. The bill’s explanation says it applies to “gambling structures, gambling excursion boats, and racetracks,” and that the change would subject those facilities to the same smoking ban as other indoor public places.
Casino Smoking Ban Rejected by Iowa Senate Subcommittee
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An Iowa Senate subcommittee rejected a bill that would have stopped smoking inside casinos, racetracks, and gambling structures by removing their exemption from the Iowa Smokefree Air Act.Sen. Tony Bisignano… pic.twitter.com/EJbZNuTIrB
— Iowa Pulse (@IowaPulse) January 27, 2026
The explanation included in the bill also noted that “Inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the content of the explanation by the members of the general assembly.”
With the subcommittee recommending that the bill be postponed indefinitely, it is unlikely to go anywhere this session unless lawmakers take additional steps to keep it alive.
The Iowa ban comes as similar battles over smoking in casinos play out in other states. on New Jersey, casino workers are seeing new legal momentum this week in a long-standing challenge to smoking on gambling floors. After a case was sent back to a trial court on remand, workers are getting another shot at overturning rules that still allow smoking in casinos.
Lobbyists and union leaders involved in the case argued that smoking should be banned wherever employees are exposed to secondhand smoke. The group Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects, or CEASE, along with union representatives, has another chance to make their case at the trial court level after an early failure.
Featured image: Grok
The post The Iowa Senate has introduced a bill to ban smoking on casino gaming floors first appeared in ReadWrite.
