Nevada preparing to reopen casinos in the not so distant future. Thursday this week the Nevada Gambling Commission in Nevada was agreeing on some terms of reopening the casinos. There are going to be many more rules to keep gamblers more separated and to follow strict disinfection methods.
Halfing the capacities will mean fewer players at the tables. Namely, at a poker table there would be four-player allowed, four at the roulette too at the craps there will be 6 allowed and also three-three players by blackjack tables.
Casinos capacity halved – Nevada preparing to reopen casinos
The rules are including cutting the casinos’ capacity into half for distancing measures. These new regulations are going to affect the operation of over 400 casinos in the state. These guidelines are going to provide a healthy and safe environment for reopening casinos.
While there was a request from casino workers’ Union to check their employer’s and guests’ body temperature upon entering their facilities. However, the Nevada Gambling Commission was not acting upon this request. Geoconda Argüello-Kline, leader of the union, was saying that: “We have to reassure guests that we are ready for them, that they will be safe when they come back. If we don’t get it right when we reopen, the long-term consequences for our industry will be devastating”
There were many other issues on the table of the gambling commission by the union and other groups concerned about responsible gambling or anti-smoking. One suggestion was, for example, to ban smoking inside the casinos, since lowering facemasks for smoking would definitely reduce the effectiveness of the new regulations. While everybody wants to work and provide their family, health risks are very high and people are stressed out.
People concerned about the heightened risks of gambling – Nevada preparing to reopen casinos
“Experiences that have traditionally been known to contribute to problem gambling may have been experienced by many returning customers, such as isolation, loss of income, loss of a loved one, or unemployment. These experiences may contribute to customers using gambling as an escape from the stress of the pandemic or as an attempt to recoup lost income.”
The exact time of reopening facilities is not announced yet. However, Gov. Steve Sisolak is supposed to announce the first phase of reopening on next Thursday. While we can be sure that casinos are not going to reopen during the first phase, it is not certain yet if they are going to stay shut down for the whole period of May. Once there is a certain reopening time it will surely be amongst online casino industry news.
A professional poker player has a word too
Richard Gilliam is not happy about the rule that lets only four people sit at a poker table. Certainly, safety comes first. However, a reduction of players at this level would result in unattractive matches for players and unprofitable games for casinos. Thus, Gilliam was asking the commission to reconsider raising this number to a minimum of six players at a time.
The player limitation at the tables is not the only new measurement that casinos will have to take. Operators will have to take out every second chair from the front of the slot machines to ensure safe distance. Also, they will have to apply employers to go around in the casino and prevent people from gathering into groups. Furthermore, two weeks before reopening they have to make a plan on how to sanitize everything.
Substitution
While this is truly not a solution for the thousands of workers staying at home at the moment, online gambling is thriving in Nevada. With live casinos, people can have a similar experience. Without the need of leaving their homes. One of the viable options for Nevada at the moment is to approve more esports events for sportsbooks. The commission is also considering this question these days.
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