A provision in a new economic development bill introduced in the Greek parliament will legalize smoking areas in casinos, betting shops and lottery outlets.
The clause, which also covers nightclubs and live music venues larger than 300 square meters, permits smoking in areas not to exceed 50 percent of floor space provided operators pay an annual fee of €200 per square meter.
Greece has more smokers per capita than any country in the EU, with recent surveys indicating more than 40 percent of Greeks aged 15 and over smoke, considerably above the EU average of 29 percent. In line with Common Market trends the government banned smoking in indoor public spaces in 2010, but the law is rarely enforced and widely flouted.
Las Vegas Sands, which has expressed interest in developing a major resort casino in or around Athens, is likely to make smoking an issue, as it did in Spain, where it withdrew from a planned multibillion-dollar investment in Madrid when the government refused to modify its ban.
