New York’s casinos are set to reopen later this week.
New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the state’s land-based casinos will be allowed to reopen on Wednesday 9 September, subject to strict safety measures.
This will apply to the Empire State’s four commercial casinos and racetrack casinos.
New York’s casinos closed their doors on 16 March due to the coronavirus pandemic and are among the last casino venues in the US to reopen following the mass closures that took place earlier this year.
Safety measures
All casino venues will be limited to 25% occupancy and customers will be required to wear face masks at all times, except when eating or drinking. In addition to this, beverage and food service will not be allowed on a casino’s gaming floor.
To begin with, only slot games will be permitted, however, there must be at least six feet between machines, and table games will only be permitted once physical barriers are installed and approved by the New York State Gaming Commission.
The state’s gambling regulator will also deploy staff to monitor properties and ensure that all health and safety measures are being followed. On top of this, additional staff will be required to control occupancy, traffic flow and seating. Casinos must also implement enhanced cleaning and disinfection controls.
New York’s casinos will also be required to implement air filtration, ventilation and purification standards before they can reopen.
Governor Cuomo said: “New Yorkers have done an extraordinary job – we flattened the curve in a way that no expert thought was possible. We’ve made the determination that we can safely reopen casinos with enhanced air filtration and strict safety protocols including mandatory masks and social distancing.
“This is good news and the right next step in our data-driven, phased reopening which is working.”
Resorts World Catskills to reopen on Wednesday
Genting’s Resorts World Catskills one of the first casinos to announce it will reopen from 9 September.
The casino said it has already installed plexiglass barriers on its game tables and that it would implement several other safety measures including temperature checks before entry.
Bob DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said: “The Resorts World team has been anxiously awaiting the day when we can open our doors again to the fun and excitement that our casinos are known for.
“We have implemented a plan to seamlessly integrate the unmatched experiences in excitement, entertainment and luxury that guests have come to expect, with the more stringent health protocols that are needed to operate safely. We are excited to play our part in Moving New York Forward.”
