Free parking, but no valet service. Bartenders, blackjack dealers and waiters with masks. Hand sanitizer everywhere.
Yes, the dice will be rolled, cards will be dealt and the slot machines will call you. But poker rooms? Closed.
Tourists returning to Las Vegas will see changes since gambling first ceased in mid-March to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, said Robert Lang, executive director of the Brookings Mountain West think tank at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak hasn’t set a restart date, but he could do so at any time. The owners of the complex have submitted health and safety rules to state regulators in anticipation of the end of the closure. A workshop with operators and the state Gaming Control Board is scheduled for Tuesday.
“We all know what we’ve been through in the last 10 weeks. Nobody is having fun, “said Bill Hornbuckle, interim CEO and president of casino giant MGM Resorts International.” The simple idea of being able to go out, go to a resort, lie in a pool, have a good dinner, sit at a blackjack table. There is something to be said about all that. “
Many properties have targeted a June 1 reboot in the gaming mecca and closed almost overnight in the middle of a hot streak – three straight months of $ 1 billion in casino winnings across the state. The city had attracted more than 40 million annual visitors.
Given the green light, the tents and managers will welcome people to this 24/7 city built for crowds, excitement and excess. But not all resorts will be open. Nightclubs, day clubs and large venues will be closed. Cirque du Soleil shows will remain dark, at least for now.
“You will see a lot of social distancing,” said Sean McBurney, general manager of Caesars Palace.
The properties of Wynn Resorts and The Venetian, owned by Las Vegas Sands, plan to use thermal imaging cameras at each entrance to intercept people with a fever.
“A gondola pilot wearing a face mask will be on board to steer the ship,” says a Venetian protocol.
New state Gaming Control Board regulations require surfaces to be sanitized in accordance with federal guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and “increased attention” to high-touch hotel items such as TV remote controls and light switches.
Guests will receive free masks at large resorts, but are not required to wear them. For blackjack dealers, bellmen, reservation clerks, security guards, housekeepers, and bartenders, masks are a must.
“That is the most visual. All employees must wear a mask, ”McBurney said.
His footsteps echoed as he walked with a reporter past the marble statues in the lobby into an empty golden casino for the first time since it opened in 1966. A slot machine screamed “Wheel of Fortune!” in the void. Seats were removed on both sides of the game.
At neighboring Bellagio, Hornbuckle showed off the newly installed hand washing stations where the slot machine banks were removed. His company is losing nearly $ 10 million a day during the shutdown, he said.
Hornbuckle promised that Bellagio’s iconic dancing fountains will reboot as soon as the governor sets a date. Still, only 1,200 of the hotel’s 4,000 rooms will be rented, and the casinos will be limited to 50% capacity.
