Yes, dice will roll, cards will be dealt and slot machines will beckon. But poker rooms? Closed.
Tourists returning to
The stakes could not be higher, said
“Las Vegas can never be known as the place where people go and get sick,” he said.
Sisolak’s office said he plans to hold a news conference on Tuesday to offer more details about the next phase of reopening, assuming those positive trends continue through the
“We all know what we’ve gone through for the last 10 weeks. No one’s having fun,” said
Many properties have aimed for an early June restart in the gambling mecca closed almost overnight in the middle of a hot streak — three consecutive
Once given the green light, the marquees and the managers will welcome people back to this 24/7 town built for crowds, excitement and excess. But not every resort amenity will be open. Nightclubs, dayclubs, buffets and large venues will remain closed. Cirque
Signs everywhere will remind guests of new rules: Wash your hands; keep distance from others; limit your elevator ride to your sanitized room to just four people.
“You’re going to see a lot of social distancing," said
Dice will be disinfected between shooters, chips cleaned periodically and card decks changed frequently. At some resorts guests will be encouraged to use cellphones for touchless check in, as room keys, and to read restaurant menus.
“A gondola pilot wearing a face mask will be on board to steer the vessel," a Venetian protocol says. “Gondoliers stationed along the canal will serenade passengers from an appropriate distance.”
New state
Guests will get free masks at large resorts, but won’t be forced to use them. For blackjack dealers, bellhops, reservation clerks, security guards, housekeepers and waiters, masks are mandatory.
“That’s the most visual thing. Every employee will be required to wear a mask,” McBurney said.
His footsteps echoed walking with a reporter past marble statues in the lobby toward a gilded casino vacant for the first time since it opened in 1966. A slot machine cried “Wheel of Fortune!” in the void. Seats on both sides of the game had been removed.
“Visually, you’ll still see a lot of color and activity, but you won’t be able to play every machine,” McBurney said.
At the neighboring Bellagio, Hornbuckle showed new hand-washing stations installed where banks of slot machines were removed. His company is losing almost
Other rules: four players only at roulette, six at craps. Plastic partitions will separate dealers from players and players from each other at the Bellagio, three at each table.
Hornbuckle promised Bellagio’s iconic dancing fountains will restart as soon as the governor sets a date. Still, just 1,200 of the hotel’s 4,000 rooms will be rented and casinos will be limited to 50% of capacity.
“You’re going to see less people, by control and by design,” he said.
Lang called it unlikely that big crowds will return quickly, and said resort operators with deep pockets “will probably allow a bargain moment” until business improves. “First will be residents of
McBurney said that with nearly 4,000 rooms at
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