Restaurants aren't places where people are expected to spend many continuous hours to patronize the business. Even so, for years most restaurants segregated smokers from those who didn't wish to be around them. Why the changes? Bars, at least in many places I've seen smoking bans go into affect, add outdoor seating on patio areas. I don't see casinos adding outdoor gaming, and when smokers have to leave the building (and the machines and gaming tables) to grab a smoke outside, the casinos will experience revenue loss. Gaming is supposed to be a continuous activity, and any inflicted break in that continuity will have a negative affect on the bottom line.

Personally, I see these laws as nanny-ism at its finest -- more government intrusion into private business practices in order to protect people from themselves.