Double Down for your Health

A recent study by the University of Nevada indicates that exposure to second-hand smoke in casinos can damage one's DNA and ultimately lead to heart disease or cancer. No argument there. It's a good thing these scientists didn't do research on the harmful effects of the Sports Book, or what a friend of mine calls the "Cancer Room." But there has also been an increase in nonsmoking areas within a number of casinos. And I am also certain that playing table games (definitely not slots) can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease: If keeping your mind active is a key weapon in the fight against this terrible illness, how much more active can it get, trying to keep track of the point and odds on your 6 and 8, 5 and 9, and pressing it? Or when to hit on a 16 and stand on a 12? The mental gymnastics can be quite rigorous--which, I guess, makes me Bela Karolyi.