Long-awaited announcement has arrived
Nevada locals and tourists yearning for a trip to Las Vegas can finally get excited. On Friday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced via a press release that “pending the evaluation of trends in Nevada’s COVID-19 data,” he will allow the state’s casinos to reopen on June 4. Casinos have been closed since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The reopenings will follow the state’s detailed plan to emerge from the lockdown, called Nevada United: Roadmap to Recovery. The state is currently in Phase 1, in which some businesses, retail, and restaurants have been permitted to reopen, provided they implement specific safety measures. Casinos are included in Phase 2, as are many other businesses in which large numbers of people gather.
Before any casino property can reopen, it must submit a detailed plan to the Nevada Gaming Control Board seven days prior to its proposed go-date. Assuming the plan is approved, the property can begin accepting guests as long it follows a myriad of guidelines, such as social distancing, sanitizing, and limiting the number of guests.
“Without a thoughtful and measured reopening of Nevada’s gaming industry, all of the work that Nevadans have done to fight the spread of this viral pandemic will have been for naught,” said Sisolak. “The Gaming Control Board remains resolute in ensuring that gaming operations in this State do not compromise the health and safety of Nevadans.”
Date not 100% set in stone
Data from the three-day holiday weekend will be analyzed before Sisolak makes a final decision. State health officials look at things like infection rates and hospital usage, looking for a consistent, downward, two-week trend. If everything is trending the right way, Sisolak is expected to officially announce the June 4 reopening date in a press conference on Tuesday.
Nevada is in the bottom half of the nation in the number of coronavirus infections, but that is to be expected in a state with a smaller, spread-out population. According to Worldometers.info, there have been 7,879 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nevada as of Monday, May 25. 394 people in the state have succumbed to the virus.
The reopening announcement comes as the United States is about to register its 100,000th confirmed death from COVID-19. Over 1.7 million people in the U.S. have had a positive test result for coronavirus.
Casino companies gearing up
Gaming companies have been making plans to welcome guests back to their Nevada casinos, though not all have made official announcements. Last week, Caesars Entertainment Corporation said that the Flamingo and Caesars Palace would be its first two Las Vegas locations to unlock their doors. Their hotels, outdoor pools, and some dining will be ready to go, as will be table games and slots.
Per Nevada Gaming Control Board guidelines, table games will be limited to the following occupancies:
Blackjack, pai gow, and other similar “carnival” table games: three players per table
Roulette and poker: four players per table
Craps: six players per table
MGM has said that Bellagio and New York-New York will likely be its first two casinos to reopen on the Las Vegas Strip. A tweet also recently circulated, showing the supposed timeline for MGM’s other Las Vegas properties, but the dates extend all the way out to November 2021 and its veracity could not be confirmed.
The Venetian will be Las Vegas Sands’ first casino to reopen and Station Casinos has a long list for its first phase, including Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch.