Smoking-ban compromise is a losing proposition

Neither casino workers nor their bosses seem to be happy with the compromise that the Atlantic City Council came up with in the dispute over curbing smoking on the gambling floors.

The council voted to restrict smoking to 25 percent of casino floor space. The casinos had wanted at least 40 percent of the space for smokers, fearing a loss of revenue from a ban; the workers had wanted zero percent, fearing for their health.

Let me suggest a better compromise, based on sound economics and health policy. It would enable casinos to ban smoking without losing money.

In one word: diapers.

Heavy-duty, astronaut-strength diapers, given free to every casino patron.

Then players could sit endlessly at slot machines and game tables, without any need for bathroom breaks.

At the same time, smoking would be banned.

The benefits of this strategy are obvious:

Keeping gamblers spending their money ...