Declaring the Majestic Star Casino on the North Shore smoke-free "would not be a prudent business decision." That's what developer and casino owner Don Barden said in a letter to the Green Building Alliance, an advocate for environmentally progressive buildings.

Mr. Barden has placed a bad bet.

During the long process of seeking and winning the state license for Pittsburgh's sole slot-machine casino, he has impressed both officials and citizens who have met him as a smart, forward-thinking businessman. He could take the lead on a significant public health issue, and we're willing to bet that most customers, not to mention his future employees, would thank him for it.

Mr. Barden says a large percentage of his customers are smokers and that an attempt to create a nonsmoking section on the floor of one of his casinos in Gary, Ind., was a bust.

But the owners of the local Eat'n Park chain knew a lot of their customers were smokers, too, when the company went ahead anyway and banned lighting up in its 79 restaurants. Other local businesses that barred smoking only because a county ban forced them to do it decided to keep the restrictions in place after the short-lived ordinance was rescinded. If their customers revolted and took their money with them, Pittsburghers would have heard about it by now. That's not happening.

There have been a flurry of complaints each time a business frequented by the public considers limiting or banning smoking, but the gripes dissipate quickly. It happened in 2006 when Heinz Field restricted smoking to certain parts of the stadium; it happened again this season when PNC Park banned smoking.

Western Pennsylvanians are willing to patronize businesses where they cannot smoke. It's true that not all of Mr. Barden's casino patrons will be local, but a great majority of his slots players are expected to be people who live within a 150-mile radius of Pittsburgh.

Not only is Mr. Barden refusing to enact a ban on smoking in his casino. He won't even designate part of the casino floor as nonsmoking. If he's not ready to agree that all of his customers can stop smoking for a couple of hours while playing his machines, surely he must concede that some customers will want that option.

Most important, all of the 900 to 1,200 people who will be working at the Majestic Star deserve to work in a safe environment. Evidence continues to pile up showing the benefits of removing the threat of secondhand smoke, but Mr. Barden has decided to expose his employees to conditions that can damage lung tissue, aggravate asthma and chronic bronchitis and do worse.

They deserve a better deal, and Mr. Barden should provide it.