As we inch slowly closer to the Las Vegas reopening, it’s apparent that things will not be “business as usual” when Vegas casinos open their doors. All sorts of Coronavirus protocols will be in place to prevent the spread of disease, and those changes will take some getting used to for casino players. Also, we discuss the effect that the pandemic has had for online gambling in America.
Hello players! J.Todd back with another week of gambling news. While we all wait for this damn pandemic to end so we can get back to our normal lives. Waiting for Las Vegas to reopen, but in truth Vegas may never be normal again… and that is this week’s big story.
Over the past several weeks we’ve discussed when Vegas casinos might reopen, and what Vegas casinos will look like when they do, but it’s pretty much been conjecture… until now. We’re finally getting a look behind the curtain of what we can expect when casinos do, in fact, open their doors.
Players and casino employees alike get ready for some changes. There will be social distancing, there will be face masks,there will be temperature checks, and there will only be a certain amount of people allowed on the gaming floor. Capacity limits will be in place limiting casinos to 50% occupancy in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. To achieve this casinos will watch customers using surveillance cameras, or they may even send security officers out to do a headcount!
Speaking of social distancing, and taking things a step further, there will also be limits on the number of players allowed to sit at the gaming tables: 3 for blackjack… 6 people standing around a craps table… 4 at the roulette…and 4 at a poker table. Although, four players sitting around a poker table with the dealer does not sound profitable for anyone.
Casinos may actually help players maintain a safe social distance by doing things like turning off every other slot machine, moving certain chairs from the gaming tables, and even putting up plastic barriers between players at tables! Sort of like giant sneeze guards!
Face masks will be provided by some properties to their guests… so as strange as it sounds you will actually see people walking around on a casino floor wearing a mask… just not a full facial mask that covers everything. You know, the kind that so many women have requested I wear.
Casinos will also do temperature checks on their guests and anyone above 100.4 degrees will have to undergo a secondary screening. Don’t worry, they’re using thermal cameras to check people’s temperatures as they enter the casino. Which is much better than how my mom used to check my temperature.
Of course, none of this gets us any closer to an actual Las Vegas reopening date. Most states are opening up in phases, and Nevada will have four of them. The governor says that casinos won’t be included in any of the phases until like Phase 3… maybe even Phase 4. And we don’t know if that means weeks or months.
So, even though we still don’t have a specific date for when Las Vegas will reopen, at least they’re starting to make some plans… and that’s something, right? One expert from the travel industry believes that things will not get totally back to normal until at least 2023!
And what about this new face of Vegas? Well don’t get too excited just yet. After all, no one said that these changes are going to be permanent. Of course, no one’s come out and said that they’re not going to be permanent either.
Some sad news to report now… news that I literally learned about as I was walking in here to film this program. One of the founders of gambling giants 888 has been killed in a plane crash in Israel. His 11 year old son was on board with him. By some miracle… by the grace of God… the 11 year old boy survived with only minor injuries. Our condolences to those affected by this tragic loss and wishes for a speedy recovery for his son… both physically and emotionally.
Now, one of the more interesting aspects of the Covid 19 pandemic has been its effect on internet gambling… especially in those American states where the activity is regulated. The results are now in, and they’re a bit surprising. Yes, online gambling has exploded. And yes, the numbers are through the roof. But no, it has not been able to offset the losses that came from closing down the land-based casinos. In fact it wasn’t even close.
Pennsylvania monthly gaming revenues are down $150 million… New Jersey down nearly a $125 million. So online gambling is keeping the lights on, but there is no danger that it’s going to surpass or supplant land-based casinos. And if I’m honest… I think that’s a good thing!
So, another week of isolation is in the books, and hopefully were another week closer to things getting back to normal. We realized that how the Las Vegas reopening is conducted is just as important as when it happens… we’re just hopeful that eventually, at some point, Las Vegas returns to its original glory. After all, one of our viewers commented on our last program and astutely said: If there are no shows, there are no restaurants, no bars, no nightclubs, no pools… there really is no Vegas.
