Re: [vpFREE] Casino social distancing guidelines

 


 Very helpful, thanks for all the info!


-----Original Message-----
From: ROBERT HANNU RWHANNU@aol.com [vpFREE] <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com>
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, Jun 8, 2020 4:34 pm
Subject: Re: [vpFREE] Casino social distancing guidelines

 
Here's the way its looking around town:

I've been over to the Orleans a few times since they opened up again, as its right in the neighborhood.   The side parking lots are closed off and you can only enter through the front.  You get remotely scanned for temperature and offered a mask (as they do everywhere I've been).  All of the staff and maybe 20% of the customers wear masks.  All machines are on, but half the chairs have been removed.  (As opposed to the few days in March before the mandatory shut down, when every other machine was turned off.)  This seems to be the practice everywhere and Gaming Control must be OK with that, as they had to approve all the casino company plans before re-opening.  The explanation is that with most slot banks, you have a mix of machines in each row and they don't want to risk shutting down anybody's "favorite" machine.  That way of thinking doesn't really follow for VP machines, but that's how they're doing it there too.  (No change in pay tables from what I've been seeing.)   Nobody seems to be counting the people coming and going to make sure they stay under 50% occupancy, but its pretty obvious when you get in there that the crowds are nowhere near 50%.  At the Boyd places, the "Young at Heart" promotions have been suspended, but they do have 11x points Sunday and Tuesday, with 2x the rest of the week.  All buffets are closed for the time being.
Downtown, they have metal detectors/turnstiles at all the Fremont Street intersections/access points.  (No entry off the side streets.)  New rules- must be over 21, show ID, no backpacks.  This is in response to the protests downtown last week and has nothing to do with the pandemic.  The valet is open at the Fremont-- they put a plastic cover over the steering wheel and front seat and put down a paper floormat when they park the vehicle.  Only one entry point in each casino...all of which are open except Main Street Station.  Crowd sizes are light to average.  (The only place that seemed "busy" was Palace Station Saturday night...they also had their back parking lot closed.)  I haven't been down to the strip...but then again, I never go down to the strip even under normal conditions.  A couple of permanent casino closures have been announced in Laughlin and Reno and it appears the the Commercial Casino in Elko (the last vestige of full-pay Pick Em) won't open again.
I'm predicting that, barring any resurgence in Covid cases, that the casinos will ride it out this way for the next couple weeks until we get into Phase 3, probably in July.  My opinion is that the Governor will keep moving toward more openings out of necessity.  State revenue is way, way down.  They've thrown the whole "rainy day fund" of 700 million at it but predict that the state will still be down over a quarter billion in revenue this year.  State agency and higher ed budget reductions are already in effect and it looks like furloughs for state employees starting in July.
So, we'll see what develops the rest of the summer


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Posted by: fjhs3@aol.com
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Re: [vpFREE] Casino social distancing guidelines

 

Here's the way its looking around town:

I've been over to the Orleans a few times since they opened up again, as its right in the neighborhood.   The side parking lots are closed off and you can only enter through the front.  You get remotely scanned for temperature and offered a mask (as they do everywhere I've been).  All of the staff and maybe 20% of the customers wear masks.  All machines are on, but half the chairs have been removed.  (As opposed to the few days in March before the mandatory shut down, when every other machine was turned off.)  This seems to be the practice everywhere and Gaming Control must be OK with that, as they had to approve all the casino company plans before re-opening.  The explanation is that with most slot banks, you have a mix of machines in each row and they don't want to risk shutting down anybody's "favorite" machine.  That way of thinking doesn't really follow for VP machines, but that's how they're doing it there too.  (No change in pay tables from what I've been seeing.)   Nobody seems to be counting the people coming and going to make sure they stay under 50% occupancy, but its pretty obvious when you get in there that the crowds are nowhere near 50%.  At the Boyd places, the "Young at Heart" promotions have been suspended, but they do have 11x points Sunday and Tuesday, with 2x the rest of the week.  All buffets are closed for the time being.
Downtown, they have metal detectors/turnstiles at all the Fremont Street intersections/access points.  (No entry off the side streets.)  New rules- must be over 21, show ID, no backpacks.  This is in response to the protests downtown last week and has nothing to do with the pandemic.  The valet is open at the Fremont-- they put a plastic cover over the steering wheel and front seat and put down a paper floormat when they park the vehicle.  Only one entry point in each casino...all of which are open except Main Street Station.  Crowd sizes are light to average.  (The only place that seemed "busy" was Palace Station Saturday night...they also had their back parking lot closed.)  I haven't been down to the strip...but then again, I never go down to the strip even under normal conditions.  A couple of permanent casino closures have been announced in Laughlin and Reno and it appears the the Commercial Casino in Elko (the last vestige of full-pay Pick Em) won't open again.
I'm predicting that, barring any resurgence in Covid cases, that the casinos will ride it out this way for the next couple weeks until we get into Phase 3, probably in July.  My opinion is that the Governor will keep moving toward more openings out of necessity.  State revenue is way, way down.  They've thrown the whole "rainy day fund" of 700 million at it but predict that the state will still be down over a quarter billion in revenue this year.  State agency and higher ed budget reductions are already in effect and it looks like furloughs for state employees starting in July.
So, we'll see what develops the rest of the summer


__._,_.___
Posted by: ROBERT HANNU <rwhannu@aol.com>
Reply via web post • Reply to sender • Reply to group • Start a New Topic • Messages in this topic (7)
vpFREE Links:

http://usma1955.com/20228//V/Links.htm

                            ***************************************

vpFREE Messages (since 10 OCT 2019):

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/vpfree-archives

                            ***************************************

Old vpFREE Yahoo archives:

http://usma1955.com/20228/V/Yahoo/vpFREE_Yahoo_Archives.htm

.

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