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• Continued smoking in reservation bars, casinos boosts business, raises questions 

ROCKY BOY -- Smoking and gambling have gone hand in hand for Deanna Standing Rock for years.

But when the statewide smoking ban went into full effect earlier this month, adding bars and casinos to the list of public places where smoking is not allowed, Standing Rock didn't fear an end to her smoke-and-slots routine. That's because she plays at a casino located on one of Montana's seven Indian reservations, where smoking is still allowed inside bars and casinos.

Reservations are exempt from the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, although far-reaching smoking bans have been implemented by Montana's sovereign tribes. The act does apply to nontribal members who own bars and casinos on Indian reservations.

The exemption has created a competitive edge for businesses such as the Chippewa Cree tribe's Northern Winz Casino on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, according to casino officials. They are now marketing the casino as smoker friendly in order to lure customers away from bars and casinos located off the reservation.

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