Since March, most businesses and schools were shut down temporarily due to the coronavirus disease. Land-based casinos were also affected seriously. However, online casinos thrived as people were encouraged to stay and work from home. Most states in the US have gambling facilities and the leaders encourage gambling. More states are now considering legislation when it comes to sports betting.
Online gambling has become popular in Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Online gambling has also been legalized in Nevada and Michigan. As more states continue to encourage gambling, it’s important to understand the legislative impact of the coronavirus disease especially when it comes to gambling. Let’s get started!
1. Alabama
The three Alabama casinos namely Wetumpka, Atmore, and Montgomery had a gradual reopening for small groups of guests back on 4th June. And it was followed by the public official reopening on 8th June.
Social distancing and health measures include mask coverings for everyone and temperature checks for employees and guests. Visitors have been asked to carry their own masks. However, there will be others available at the facility to support healthcare providers, responders, and COVID-19 patients. To enforce social distancing rules, casinos with no deposit poker bonuses have limited the number of visitors on the floor to less than a quarter of the normal operations. Other casinos in Alabama have reopened and are ready to expand as they enforce health regulations.
2. Arizona
The Navajo Nation has approved the federal funding of $24.6 million in coronavirus to help in paying more than a thousand gaming employees as part of the CARES Funding Act which is around $475 million. Back in March, four casinos in Mexico and Arizona were closed but they continued paying employees until early August.
The Gila River Casinos which owns Vee Quiva, Lone Butte, and Wild Horse Pass casino was opened in early July after closing the casinos a few weeks ago due to the pandemic. During the closure, the company examined its safety measures. Fort McDowell Casino and Harrah’s AK-Chin casino in Maricopa were reopened under strict social and health guidelines back on May 15. This is the same day when the Governor’s stay-at-home order expired.
3. Arkansas
Casinos in this state have lost more than a billion dollars in gaming wagers this year alone as reported by KTBS. Gaming income has been rebounding slowly in Arkansas since the reopening of casinos after months of the coronavirus shutdown.
Sports betting went live in West Memphis after the sportsbook was shut down. And the sportsbook will be in the Sports Bar at Southland.
The Oaklawn Park was the only casino in the state to reopen in the second week of July. According to the Arkansas Racing Commission, the payouts were more than the revenue during the month. And this resulted in a loss. The sportsbook at Saracen and Southland was closed in July.
4. California
The Cache Creek Casino was shut down temporarily after its computer systems were attacked as reported by the East Bay Times. The facility was shut down in late September to seal the loopholes in the systems. On the other hand, the 500 Club casino has created an outdoor area in Clovis so that the card rooms can be operated outside.
The casino hopes this venue while adhering to strict health and social distancing guidelines. The card rooms in Bay 101 and San Jose will operate outdoors under huge tents to facilitate social distancing. Also, Star Casino in Tracy has moved its tables outdoors thus becoming the first casino to operate outside since the start of the pandemic in California. A card room that used to have thirty to forty players only has a dozen.
Conclusion
Every state is doing what it can to reopen and give the citizens a chance to get back to their normal lives. When it comes to gambling most casinos in the US that are reopening are following strict health and social distancing guidelines to make their clients feel comfortable while gambling. Some have asked visitors to carry their masks while others are taking temperatures and reducing the number of people who get into their facilities.
Legislatures are convening meetings regularly to come up with new ways to make gamblers and casino managers feel comfortable during the pandemic. While this pandemic has affected land-based casinos seriously, online casinos are thriving and rising high like never before.
Author Bio
Leslie has been writing since she can remember. Former professional editor. She is the content lead at Gamblizard. She knows how to make words shine. She is the one responsible for writing the most important articles and coordinating our freelance content writers. She is actually the one writing this text right now.