Colorado's legislature may finally be on the verge of extending the state's smoking ban to include casinos . . . if anti-smoking purists don't overplay their hands.

Last month, House Bill 1269, which would ban smoking in casino gambling areas starting July 1, passed the House 36-29. When the bill reached the Senate, it was amended a couple of times. The final version, which passed 18-16 on Monday, includes the casino ban but has it taking effect July 1, 2008.

Now that the bill has returned to the House, a handful of anti-tobacco absolutists want to restore the original 2007 timetable. They've threatened to force the bill into a conference committee where they would impose the earlier deadline.

This would be a reckless gamble, and one that backers of an immediate ban could easily lose.

If we had our druthers, casinos would be included right away as well. There is simply no persuasive rationale for casinos to be exempt from the state's smoking law. But by all indications, a majority of senators would not support an immediate change.

So if the alternatives are a more comprehensive ban that kicks in next year or the current patchwork prohibition that would let bettors continue to light up indefinitely, it's no contest: Pass House Bill 1269 in its present form. Ensure that more public areas will become smoke-free.

It appears that the only reason the ban passed the Senate by that razor-thin margin is because a handful of senators insisted on a one-year delay.

If HB 1269 is amended again, with that safety valve removed, one or more of those senators might leave the table entirely. The ban would not be extended to casinos during this legislative session, if ever. An opportunity to extend a healthy policy would be squandered.

A final vote on House Bill 1269 was postponed on Tuesday, but we hope the bill will be approved today.

The one-year delay would presumably give casinos more time to design and build outdoor patios and other legal accommodations.

Perhaps they don't need that much time to comply with the law, said Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, on Monday. Shaffer is one of those lawmakers who wants the ban to take effect immediately.

But the quest for immediate gratification should not jeopardize successful public policy. A sensible extension of the smoking ban is within reach. Don't let that slip away.