Expect to wear face masks, stay 6 feet from the nearest gambler, and skip the buffet line when casinos reopen starting Wednesday in Illinois.
The state’s 10 casinos are rushing to implement the COVID-19 health protocols before they can open their doors for the first time in 3.5 months.
After receiving news from Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Gaming Board on Thursday about the planned July 1 resumption of casino operations, officials at the five suburban casinos confirmed Friday that they will be ready to open on day one. .
“Rush Street Gaming successfully reopened Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh recently, and many of the precautions and procedures we instituted there to keep our associates and customers safe will be put into action in Des Plaines,” Patrick Skarr, spokesperson for Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. he said in a statement. “We are working closely with the Illinois Gaming Board, but our guests can expect increased cleaning, social distancing, and wearing of masks by every team member and client on the floor.”
Part of what was put into practice at Rivers’ sister property in Pittsburgh that is expected to be reproduced here includes fewer seats at table games, Plexiglas at some betting terminals, floor stickers to help support people. 6 feet away, hand sanitizer stations scattered throughout the game floor and regular disinfection of slot machines and chips by cleaning crews.
Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood casinos in Aurora and Joliet, and Harrah’s in Joliet have also announced openings on July 1.
Each gambling house had to submit a resumption plan that takes into account health and safety requirements for review and approval by the gaming table regulators.
“The video game and casino industry has worked cooperatively and professionally with the (game board) to develop best practices that create the safest possible environment for gaming,” said the administrator of the Gaming Board. Marcus Fruchter in a press release. “We appreciate your cooperation and work towards the mutual goal of a restart that protects the safety and integrity of the Illinois Games.”
While not all casinos or the gaming table immediately released specific plans, all gaming facilities have to comply with a set of protocols published by state regulators earlier this month. That includes 6-foot social distance requirements; the availability and use of face masks and personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes; and cleaning touch surfaces, board game areas, dice, chips, and cards.
To enter the casinos, customers must control their temperatures. Buffets, poker rooms, board game tournaments, and valet parking are banned for now, and total capacity is limited to 50%.
Video game machine operators in some 7,300 bars, restaurants, cafes, taverns, truck stops and fraternal organizations in Illinois also received approval to resume operations Wednesday after the approval of their security plans, according to Joe Miller, director of board policy and special projects.
Slot machines can officially go back to work at 9 am on Wednesday
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