Slots, Craps And COVID Masks: Casinos Begin Reopening, But When Will PA Follow? – Play Pennsylvania

Pennsylvanias twelve casinos have been closed for about two months to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Keystone State is following a three-phase color-coded reopening plan. Thirty-seven counties will be in the yellow phase by May 15, but casinos can not begin to welcome back guests until the green phase.

Casinos in yellow phase counties:

Does this mean they will the first casinos in Pennsylvania to reopen? Like most things surrounding coronavirus, no one knows for sure and there is no target date.

Coronavirus closed all 989 commercial and tribal casinos in the United States for the first time ever. The shutdowns affect 652,000 casino and resort employees across the country and 17,000 casino employees in Pennsylvania.

However, some bright spots are emerging as casinos begin to reopen.

As of May 13, 23 casinos have opened their doors again according to the American Gaming Association. The majority are tribal casinos in Oklahoma.

On May 12, US News and World Report said hundreds of patrons lined up to enter the Thunderbird Casino in Norman, Oklahoma. The casino implemented social distancing, sanitation safeguards and limited entry to about 200 people which is about one-third of capacity.

Eleven casinos in Deadwood, South Dakota were among the first to open their doors and found guests eager to return, according to CNBC. Occupancy was between 85 to 90% with many people driving in from surrounding states.

Caleb Arceneaux, CEO of Liv Hospitality, part of a family business that owns and operates Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort and Cadillac Jacks Gaming Resort and four hotels in Deadwood told CNBC:

We were about 15% or 20% higher than a typical weekend business, which is significant. Cabin fevers real, and I think people wanted to get out and experience, you know, gaming again. I think as we get back to whatever the new normal is going to look like, the people are going to be more comfortable coming out, and get over the fear and panic.

At the South Dakota gaming resorts, social distancing rules of six feet were in effect. Guests do not have to wear masks but dealers for blackjack and table game wear masks since they cannot maintain a six-foot distance.

Other changes include:

In terms of total gaming revenue in 2018, Louisiana ranked fifth behind Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

Louisiana plans to reopen casinos on May 18, however it is subject to state police approval. Should they receive the go-ahead, it will provide an early look at how a larger gaming market will look after long COVID-19 closures.

Various panels at this weeks ICE North America Digital online conference, discussed the future of brick-and-mortar casinos and possible changes.

Simon Holliday, founder of H2 Gambling Capital, said he expects to seean initial surge for land-based properties due to demand but urges caution long-term.

Dont be fooled, its a minority of people. I think in the longer term more people will be hesitant to go to public spaces rather than those that have travel restrictions. It could take years, if ever, we get back to the same type of air travel. If you are further away from your customer, that is going to have an impact.

This would bode well for Pennsylvanias casinos which are commuter-friendly. Philadelphia is within a days drive of 40% of the U.S. population.

Kelley Tucky, owner of Ithos Strategic Communications, believes that preparations to reopen must be employee-centric to start.

Guests are watching how you treat your employees. If a guest feels feels employees concerns are not being heard, then they will make the determination if they are going to reconnect with you. Safety and security are Number One.

Michael Soll, President of the Innovation Group, laid out what recovery rates might look like starting in May over the course of a 12-month period:

During the most recent Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board meeting on April 29, Executive Director Kevin OToole said they started the process of discussing with casino operators their plans for the eventual reopening of land-based casino facilities.

There is an anxiousness among all of our staff to continue the process toward reopening land-based casinos as well as VGT gaming at approved truck stops. At this time, we do not know specifically when state and local government, in consultation with health experts will give the okay for casinos to reopen. We hope that day will come fairly soon.

Wind Creek Casino indicated that when they do reopen, they will be implementing a reservation system.

PlayPennsylvania provides weekly updates on the state of casinos across Pennsylvania here. As land-based gambling establishments remain shuttered, PA online casinos continue to flourish.

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Slots, Craps And COVID Masks: Casinos Begin Reopening, But When Will PA Follow? - Play Pennsylvania