South Dakota bars try to shelter smokers from ban

Monday, November 15 2010

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The night before a new smoking ban took effect, the manager at one Sioux Falls bar handed out cigars to people walking inside. At another, management let patrons make off with ashtrays as keepsakes.

The giveaways had the feel of a last hurrah. In a state with notoriously cold and snowy winters, the onset of South Dakota's new smoking ban last week means bars and video lotteries will now have to tell smokers to take it outside, leaving bar owners to worry about another potential drain on business. Many are now rushing to open smoking shelters and install outdoor heating to keep smokers from staying home.

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