4 MGM properties, other casinos reopening in Las Vegas

Casinos from Lake Tahoe to Laughlin started announcing plans this week to lure back customers beginning June 4, with one downtown Las Vegas hotel owner buying more than 1,000 one-way airline tickets to boost interest around the country.

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2020, 5:30 PM

Updated 1,520 days ago

Share:

LAS VEGAS - Casinos from Lake Tahoe to Laughlin started announcing plans this week to lure back customers beginning June 4, with one downtown Las Vegas hotel owner buying more than 1,000 one-way airline tickets to boost interest around the country.
The promotions began the morning after Gov. Steve Sisolak lifted the casino shut-down order he imposed in mid-March to prevent people from spreading the coronavirus.
“It’s on us,” Derek Stevens, owner of the D Las Vegas, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino and Circa Sports said in a 30-second video about his airline ticket giveaway that doesn’t require bookings at his properties. “Las Vegas needs you.”
PHOTOS: COVID-19 impacts the world
undefined
Not all properties will open at first and business will probably start slowly, said Virginia Valentine, president of the Nevada Resorts Association. Nightlife will be limited.
Casino giant MGM Resorts said it will reopen its Bellagio, New York-New York and MGM Grand resorts, and its Signature gambling-free towers. Caesars Entertainment will reopen Caesars Palace and the Flamingo in Las Vegas and its Harrah’s properties in Lake Tahoe and Laughlin. The Cosmopolitan emphasized its open-air balconies over the Las Vegas Strip.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. said its Venetian will open first, and its Palazzo tower at a later date.
“I think it will ramp up as people come back, locals and drive-ins first and then air travel,” Valentine said. “There’s been a lot of careful, thoughtful planning going into this reopening. It’s going to be important that we get it right.”
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Lake Tahoe began offering rooms for $20.20 a night in a promotion marking the return of gambling that was shut down statewide for the first time since legalization in 1931.
Some employers have said their workers will be required to wear facial coverings. Regulators want masks available and encouraged for customers on request.
Wynn Resorts, which announced plans more than a month ago for thermal imaging of employees and guests at all entrances, said it will open both of its Las Vegas Strip towers beginning June 4, including beauty salon, barber shop, spa and fitness center amenities.
Hotel guests will be temperature-screened to identify if they have a fever, generally registering 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) or higher. The Gaming Control Board said guests will be required to complete a symptoms self-assessment at check-in, and resorts must have a medical professional on site.
Sisolak announced the opening date after learning Tuesday that he’d visited a workplace last week where an employee who was not there at the time later test positive for COVID-19.
The governor announced Wednesday night that his swab test came back negative and he has shown no symptoms of the virus.
Sisolak cited a 35-day decline in the rate of new cases of COVID-19 and said the state is ramping up testing and contact tracing, and has hospital capacity to handle cases that emerge. Health officials report the virus has infected more than 8,100 people in the state and killed at least 396, mostly in the Las Vegas area.
Sisolak also approved in-person religious services for up to 50 people starting Friday. The governor, a Democrat, drew a Trump administration warning this week about his ban on religious gatherings of 10 or more people.
Nick Trutanich, U.S. attorney for Nevada, and Eric Dreiband, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, commended Sisolak for “extending religious freedom protections.” They pledged their cooperation in a joint statement Wednesday “as we work to balance civil liberties and public safety through the process of reopening.”
Regulators said all front-line resort workers should be screened for COVID-19 before returning from furloughs and plans should be in place to isolate infected visitors.
Acknowledging that outdoor summer temperatures in Las Vegas top 100 degrees, health officials advised 15-minute retests of guests who have 100.4-degree (38 Celsius) readings. Those still with high readings will get additional screening and possible medical referrals.
Casinos will encourage hand-washing and offer hand sanitizer while limiting guests to 50% of fire code capacity in gambling areas, restaurants and stores. Swimming pool lounge chairs will be spaced apart.
Gamblers will be limited to three at blackjack and other table games, four at roulette, six at craps. Some resorts plan to disinfect dice between shooters, clean chips periodically and change card decks frequently. Some will encourage the use of cellphones for touchless check-in, as room keys and to read restaurant menus.
Smoking will still be allowed, the Gaming Control Board said.
The governor said bars, restaurants, convenience and grocery stores with 15 slot machines can resume gambling operations. Nightclubs, dayclubs, buffets and large venues will remain closed.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems can face more severe illness including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
By KEN RITTER - Associated Press


More from News 12
1:52
Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

2:04
Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

0:38
Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

0:49
New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

0:49
Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

0:32
Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

1:40
Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

0:52
Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

0:37
2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

1:30
Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

0:56
News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

1:02
Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

1:37
Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

2:33
Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

0:32
NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

0:40
State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

0:34
Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

0:40
Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

0:34
Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued

Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued