As casinos reopen in KC, attention turns to social distancing, ‘high-touch surfaces’
As casinos in Missouri begin reopening, visitors will have the chance to play their best hands — but with some new rules.
In the Kansas City area, bets will be back on at Ameristar, Argosy, Isle of Capri and Harrah’s starting Monday morning when a statewide order suspending operations expires.
Several casinos will operate at a limited capacity and some amenities like live entertainment and buffets remain shuttered.
On the Kansas side, casinos were permitted to open last week under Phase II of Gov. Laura Kelly’s recovery plan. At Hollywood Casino, in Kansas City, Kansas, visitors underwent temperature checks before entering.
Before the coronavirus, visitors would not have thought twice about a crowd of people gathering around a craps table or the germs on a slot machine or deck of cards.
As reopening plans have developed, attention has turned to the unique challenges that casinos present. Industry leaders, state gaming commissions and public health agencies have negotiated how to open casinos where high-touch surfaces abound.
Now, at some casinos, only dealers may touch cards and only every other slot machine will be available.
While social distancing and cleaning practices will be emphasized, reopening details vary from casino to casino.
New protocols
Mike Leara, chairman of the Missouri Gaming Commission, said the 13 casinos the state oversees presented the commission with a reopening plan as a group.
The rules they proposed were not as strict as what the state wanted.
“We would give them back a little stronger plan,” he said. “It was a back and forth, but we came to a reasonable agreement of the enhanced cleaning, closing down every other slot machine and removing the chairs from every other player’s spot at the card table and PPE.”
The reopenings come months after the casinos were closed because of the pandemic. The Missouri Gaming Commission had suspended the casino licenses March 17 as the coronavirus began to spread.
“One of the toughest parts of this decision was putting 9,000 people out of work,” Leara said.
Many of those employees will return to work Monday. They will be required to wear masks. Guests will be offered masks but will not be required to wear them.
At Argosy Riverside, which will open at 9 a.m. Monday, about half of the slot machines will be disabled and capacity on the gaming floor will be limited, general manager Harold Rowland said in a statement.
Employees will undergo a health screening when their shift begins.
Live music and entertainment will remain suspended.
The hotel will reopen June 4th in a limited capacity.
“While the amenities our customers have come to know and love may be somewhat limited for the time being, the ability to safely welcome back our team members and guests remains our top priority,” Rowland said.
Harrah’s Kansas City will reopen at 10 a.m. Monday and operate at 50% capacity, the company said in a news release.
Areas in the casino will be arranged to allow for social distancing and sanitized more frequently.
Poker and restaurants including The Buffet and Laurel Lounge will remain closed with plans to open in phases.
Employees will undergo daily temperature checks.
Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City will open its doors at 11 a.m. Monday.
Boyd Gaming, which owns the casino, said dice will be sanitized for each new shoot and chairs will be removed from blackjack tables.
“It’s going to be a different experience in some ways, social distancing will certainly be one of the biggest,” said Boyd spokesman David Strow.
Isle of Capri said on its Facebook page that it will reopen at 10 a.m. Monday.
The gaming commission will continue to monitor the situation and Leara said that he will visit some of the casinos.
He noted that the state lost about $1 million in revenue every day the casinos were closed.
“We’re looking forward to turning that revenue stream back on in Missouri,” Leara said.
On the Kansas side of the metro area, Hollywood Casino reopened May 25.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued four pages of reopening guidelines for casinos with recommendations on cleaning or replacing playing chips, cards, dice, roulette wheels and other high-touch surfaces.
Patrons underwent temperature checks at the entrance and the casino was closed for a few hours every day so that disinfecting could take place, said Todd Allen, government relations manager with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.
He said visitors should only go if they feel comfortable doing so, wash their hands frequently and wear a mask.
“Be kind and aware of others around you to be able to maximize physical distance,” he said in an email.
