-
Casinos for you
50% Occupancy Limit Placed on Nevada Casinos After Reopening
By Jeff Osienya May 05, 2020 IndustryThe Nevada Gaming Control Board has compelled all casinos planning to reopen in the state to adhere to a 50% occupancy rules, among other safety measures to keep locals safe.As part of the plan to slowly and safely lift the current shutdown, the Gaming Control Board in Nevada has issued a 50% maximum occupancy capacity restriction for all casinos in the state. On top of this requirement, the gaming houses must also have a plan in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases within their premises.
Strict Social Distancing & Player Accountability on the Casino Floors
The board released a statement indicating that licensees in the state are supposed to indicate exactly how they will comply with the occupancy reduction limits. Casinos will, therefore, have to disclose details such as how they’ll use their security personnel, surveillance systems, and slot accounting systems to monitor the occupants of the casino floors in real-time.
Additionally, casinos in the Silver State will also be required to limit the number of players that are sitting at the tables to play card games offered in the lobbies. For instance, instead of the regular six players on blackjack tables, only three players will be allowed while craps tables will only take in six players rather than the usual dozen.
To ensure that the 50% occupancy limit is achieved, the Gaming Control Board has recommended the adjustment of floor plans for gaming machines to create proper social distances for players. The board has suggested the removal of chairs that are usually placed across all machines, as part of the plan to create more space in the gambling areas. In case there are queues in the casino lobbies, operators have been given directives to make sure that the queueing customers must also observe the same social distancing requirements.
More Vigilant Sanitization Protocols
Apart from the stricter occupancy rules, the state regulator also instructed that casinos should have plans that detail how the tables and gaming machines will be sanitized regularly. And as part of the sanitization plans, the casinos are supposed to make sure that patrons don’t gather in groups anywhere in the gambling facilities.
Casino operators have also been urged to throw in extra sanitization measures for the safety of staff and players such as the use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), sanitization stations, and more thorough disinfection and cleaning protocols on gaming premises.
However, even with all the recommendations given by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, there isn’t any word yet about when the stay-at-home order will be lifted. As we speak, the governor's order is effective until 15th May and it could be extended depending on how the situation unfolds.
Sisolak’s directive puts the reopening of casinos in the hands of the state's Gaming Control Board. Therefore, until the regulator sees fit, casinos will remain closed should the stay-at-home directive be lifted next week on Friday. If the board okays the reopening of casinos, each facility will have to submit its plan to the board before being allowed to open its doors. Each plan must follow the 7-page memo issued for casino resorts while operators having up to 15 slot machines (taverns, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and convenience stores) must base their plan on the board’s 4-page notice.
You might also like