Even though Nevada belongs to those 26 states where stay-at-home orders are still in place, its Gaming Commission has decided to approve a plan for casino reopening. It’s supposed to serve as a guideline for the casino industry once the state looseness its anti-coronavirus measures.
The plan will bring many new changes to the casino industry in Las Vegas. For instance, each of the 441 casinos located within the state borders will have to reduce its capacity by half. Undoubtedly, the measure is going to impact the industry revenue compared to the pre-pandemic era.
However, considering that the Las Vegas casinos have been closed since March 18, even a slight increase in customers would do wonders for them.
Special Anti-Coronavirus Measures for Las Vegas Casinos
Once the Nevada officials decide to end the stay-at-home order for preventing the pandemic of COVID-19, Las Vegas casinos are going to open their doors to the public. It’s already been almost two months since they had to lock their doors, so everyone in the casino industry looks very eager to get back to business.
However, once the lockdown is over, business is not going to be as usual. At least not at the beginning. The Nevada Gaming Commission has come up with a set of policies meant to ensure social distancing inside casinos.
Some of those measures include the following:
- Every casino to reduce its maximum capacity to 50% of the current number.
- Blackjack tables to reduce the number of seats from six to three.
- One roulette table to have no more than four seats.
- No more than four poker players to sit at the same table.
- Casino’s cleaning staff to disinfect all tables and seats regularly.
- Casino personnel to wear face masks and gloves.
Commissioners believe that these sorts of measures should be able to prevent the coronavirus from spreading among gamblers. However, not everyone agrees. There are some who think there’s a need for additional measures.
Indoor Smoking Remains Allowed Despite Pleas
Jennifer Pearson from the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nevada in Reno was one of those who raised their concerns about the plan for casino reopening. According to her, the plan leaves some crucial questions unanswered.
For instance, she wonders why there aren’t any changes in the state’s laws regarding indoor smoking. Her reasoning is that if smoking is allowed inside the casinos, gamblers would have to take their face masks off in order to have a cigarette.
Should smoking be banned in Nevada casinos? 🚬
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) November 25, 2019
The public seems to be on her side; however, no policies have been discussed formally by the Nevada Gaming Commission. Still, the chairman of the NGC John Moran has reassured everyone that the guidelines for casino reopening are subject to modifications in the future.
When Will Casino Reopening Start in Las Vegas?
A few weeks ago, Las Vegas mayor called casinos to re-open their doors to the public. Her plea was met with a public backlash as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging at the time in the United States. Several weeks have passed since and American epidemiologists suggest the end of the crisis is on the horizon.
At the moment of writing, there are 19 states that have decided to loosen their anti-coronavirus measures. For instance, Florida has labeled some sports as essential businesses, the result of which is that many large events are going to take place in the Sunshine State, including the UFC 249.
However, Nevada still doesn’t belong to this category of states. However, things are going to change soon, as the state is planning to start working on bringing the life back to normal. The decision of the Gaming Commission to come up with a plan for casino reopening is certainly giving hopes to gambling aficionados that Las Vegas venues are going to go back to work by the end of the month.
