Indiana Eyes Mid-June as Tentative Reopening for Casinos Closed by Pandemic
Posted on: May 3, 2020, 11:59h.
Last updated on: May 4, 2020, 10:13h.
Indiana casinos may reopen as soon as next month, according to information a state gaming official gave Casino.org. That came just hours after Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday outlined his program to get businesses and other facilities forced to close in March by the COVID-19 pandemic ‘back on track.”
The tentative date for the 10 casinos and two racinos to welcome back customers is June 14, according to Jenny Reske, deputy director of the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC).
The IGC staff is working on its reopening requirements, which will be available at a later date, Reske said. The casinos must submit reopening plans to the state before receiving approval for welcoming back patrons.
“The casinos are putting a lot of thought into their plans,” Reske told Casino.org.
Indiana was one of the first states in the country to order its casinos closed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. The gaming commission shuttered the venues early on March 16, just days after Holcomb began limiting “non-essential gatherings” in churches, auditoriums, stadiums, and similar facilities.
However, as it did in other states, the closure severely affected the amount of tax revenue the venues provided to the state and communities. Just two weeks after the Tropicana Evansville closed because of? the IGC’s order, the Evansville City Council agreed to a nearly $3 million repeal in the current budget.
Four Keys to Reopening
While casinos are not mentioned explicitly in Holcomb’s plan, the June 14 date would fall on the beginning of its fourth phase. During this stage, “cultural, entertainment, and tourism businesses” may open at half capacity. Bars and nightclubs may open as well with that same restriction.
Holcomb’s plan is for all businesses to operate at full capacity by July 4.
We hope we can open up the state even more in mid-June to get you back to even more of the activities you and your family are used to and missing so much in recent weeks,” Holcomb said in his Friday address.
The second stage of Indiana’s five-phase reopening program – the first-phase covered the time since Holcomb ordered all nonessential businesses closed on March 23 – starts on Monday.
However, for the state to proceed to each subsequent stage, Holcomb said officials will follow four key guidelines. Those are a continuation in the decrease of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the ability to keep intensive care beds and ventilators readily available, expanded testing capabilities statewide, outreach to all who test positive for the virus, and the ability to conduct contact tracing on those individuals.
Through contact tracing, state officials will be able to identify those who may have interacted, knowingly or not, with someone who contracted COVID-19.
“If we cannot continue to meet our four guiding principles, all or portions of the state may need to pause or even return to an earlier phase of our stay-at-home order,” the governor said. “In other words: this is up to each of us, and all of us.”
Indiana Casino Workers Rally Around Concerns
Also on Friday, union workers at Indiana’s casinos held an online rally via Facebook to call on their employers to take additional steps to ensure the health and safety for them and the patrons. They also wanted gaming companies to make health insurance more affordable for the employees.
The virtual demonstration was organized by UNITE HERE Local 1, which represents workers at three northern Indiana casinos, as well as UNITE HERE Local 23, Teamsters Local 89, and IUOE Local 399. The latter three casinos represent workers at both Caesars Southern Indiana and the Indiana Grand Racing and Casino.
“I’m scared to go back to work because one of our co-workers on the property already died from COVID-19, and he was working with us right before the shutdown,” said Anjila Gaudet, a Caesars slot attendant. “If we’re going to re-open, I want public health experts to be guiding us in what we should be doing.”
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Last Comments ( 37 )
So the guest can enter unmasked un gloved. And spread germs everuwhere cause lets face its in the air on your clothing guests should be mandated to wear mask and gloves also thats basically a big fuck you to casino workers!!# ITS NOT ABOUT MONEY ....WHEN PEOPLE ARE DYING I THINK ITS SELFISH GREEDY AND CARELESS I WOULD LOVE TO SEE CAESARS TOP V.P AND TOP AIDS COME AND WORK WITH MASK AND GLOVES AND CATER TO PEOLE WHOM COULD POTENTIALLY KILL YOU OR THEM . !!!UNBELIEVABLE BULL SHIT WELL OVER 2000 PEOPLE ON ANY GIVEN DAY 1000 EMPLOYEES ON ANY GIVEN DAY ALSO GREEDY SELFISH IGNORANT
Why protect your employees when guests are entering with no protection..seems as if they shoul be wearing mask also ! If you were really concerned about employees heal who decides these dumd as rules so a guest can bring into the casino and touch everything and spreading covid so wtf do u mean they halve to wear no protection!!! Leaving your casino employees to pay the price gimme a fucking break !!people will quit before 6his shit flies stupid plan guys ...im sure U can do better keep the fucking doors locked
At any given day Hoosier park has 1000 + people on deck &that is just employees ..plus 2000 guests on any given day !!...So yes it is a HUGE RISK!!!TO EVERYONE AND TO BE MADE TO GO BACK TO THIS ENVIRENMENTV IS JUST RUSSIAN ROULETTE!!!!WITH 60% OF FOLKS OVER 50 USE YOU BRAINS PEOPLE and not your bank statements/
Mask and gloves are a false sense of security! If you don’t properly wear the mask and properly handle the mask/gloves when disposing of ( let alone when wearing them! ) what is the sense of using them....... don’t forget that your clothing and shoes need to be handled the same if you “go out”! How about your vehicle, cell phone, money, credit cards, your eyes, etc etc etc.......it’s a farce and a bunch of BS by the Gov!....... again FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY FOR “THE PEOPLE”! ...... don’t get me started on the BS stimulus package...... wake up people use your brain or least think a little bit with what you do have!
I am one who at 55 is also concerned for my health, but there are many sound responses here, especially not making any sense when we are around just as many people at walmart. Those who don't wish to come to the casino do not have to come, just as it has always been. No one has ever forced me to go. As far as masks, they not only do not prevent any airborne virus, they also cause us to ingest too much carbon dioxide into our systems. As for making the casinos non smoking; that is ridiculous, again, like one said, they have non smoking rooms, and again, if you don't like it, don't come. It's one of the few places smokers still have that freedom. The ohio casinos are non smoking and every time i've been there the amount of people there are far less than the Indiana casinos. Whether or not it is because they can't smoke, I don't know, but I do know that's the reason I don't go. We are all adults who are fallible human beings having a one time human experience on this planet. We live in a country of free choice. I choose to go to the casino regardless.....
This fascist garbage is getting so old. If I hear the term "social distancing" one more time, I am going to lose it. You people are falling into the same trap they laid in Germany during Hitlers regime. Create a crisis, become the solution, the solution is fasicsm. Open the casinos and all other businesses up NOW
Face it! Not everyone is staying home, there are out and about every day. If you are scared then stay home! I have been out the past two weeks just because I'm stir crazy and get wake up my immune system. I've seen more people in Kroger's than I've seen at the casinos. Just saying! It's a personal preference but I feel July is too long when everything else is open.
Make everyone wear masks and put up plexiglass between each slot games with regular cleans also have wipes on hand
You are all sheeple. Masks do not do anything in preventing you getting coronavirus. And what the hell does not smoking have to do with opening casinos?! That's the dumbest thing ever and wont ever happen. Theres non smoking rooms with slots in them. Smh crybaby
test every customer that comes in the casinos
Need the casinos. I am going crazy
What about the plan for horse racing?
Dennis, I've reached out to the racing commission, which oversees the sport in the state. Haven't heard back yet but will follow up. At the worst, if Holcomb's plan moves forward as expected, sporting events with fans in stands would be possible by July 4. With other states now embracing live racing w/o fans, it stands to reason Indiana officials would at least consider it.
With that many ppl we should be able to wear face mask.Also ppl coming should not be able to get into casino without a mask it's too risky right now.
THEY NEED TO REOPEN WITH A NO SMOKING POLICY FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CUSTOMER AND THE STAFF. IF THEY DONT I WONT RETURN .
Mid June is incorrect to open Indiana Casinos. July 4 was the date the Governor said in his news conference on 5-4-2020.
Philip, Thank you for your comment, and I apologize for not responding sooner. I hadn't seen your post until today. I reported based on the information I had at the time from state officials, and while I also heard Gov. Holcomb make that statement Monday, the current statement on the IGC's website even differs from that, noting that casinos won't open until after the beginning of phase four. I think what we're likely to see in Indiana is that some casinos may receive approval to open in a limited capacity sometime next month. By June 14, if things go as planned, there can be gatherings as large as 250 people at that time, and bars and cultural attractions will be able to operate at 50% capacity.