HARRISBURG — The state House, considering a statewide smoking ban Friday for the second time in eight days, defeated a key amendment that would have inserted additional exceptions into a Senate-passed bill.

The House voted 82-113 against an amendment that, among other things, would have allowed smoking anywhere on casino floors, banned smoking in any private home used as a child-care facility, and allowed Philadelphia to keep its more stringent smoking ban in place.

Consideration of the ban on smoking in most enclosed or semienclosed public places was expected to resume today.

The defeated amendment would have allowed smoking to continue in bars where food accounts for less than a fifth of total sales, as many as one-quarter of any hotel's rooms and homes that are not used as adult day-care or health care facilities.

"It sounds more about protecting an interest than protecting individual citizens in individual areas," said Rep. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery. "This is, I believe, a profound moral issue. It's one of the few votes that we're going to cast that actually has life-and-death consequences."

The failed amendment, introduced by Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, also would have allowed smoking in cigar bars, tobacco shops, private clubs and a few other places. He described it as "a huge step forward" compared to the status quo.

"This amendment tonight allows us to move the bar forward in Pennsylvania, which currently has smoking everywhere," Eachus said. "Everywhere you go, no matter where you go, you're exposed to secondhand smoke."

Eachus said the exemption for casinos had been suggested at the request of the fledgling slots industry.

"Look at New Jersey, they've just banned smoking completely," he said. "I think what this will do for us is give us a competitive advantage."

Casinos already have a set of competitive advantages granted by the Legislature, said Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, an ardent gambling opponent.

"The casinos are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All these employees that are there should be protected from the smoking, the secondhand smoking," Clymer said.

The House last week began debate on its own bill, but changed course and instead on Friday took up legislation that passed the Senate late last month.