Indiana To Roll The Dice And Reopen Casinos After COVID-19 Closures
CHICAGO (CBS) -- On Tuesday, some venues are preparing to re-open, namely Indiana casinos
They just got the green light from the state to re-launch early next week.
CBS 2's Chris Tye is in northwest Indiana with the new rules that await gamblers.
The odds stay the same, but the number of gamblers around you on the casino floor will shrink, as the wheels spin, the cards shuffle and the dice roll 6:00 Monday morning.
It will be three months, almost to the day, that Indiana's casino corridor has sat quiet. That ends next Monday.
Indiana's Gaming Commission watched and studied as Las Vegas casinos came back online this weekend. Based on gambler sentiment and science, the commission released these gaming guidelines this week.
Among the policies, to keep social distancing standards, at least every other slot machine will be shut off.
Table games will see stricter capacity limits: blackjack to have a three-player limit. Roulette now has a four-player limit and craps will have a six-player limit.
Employees and table-game users must wear masks, but other patrons are not required to.
While these venues have long been home to big name attractions, that will stop for the time being.
On the prohibited list: poker rooms, concerts, as well as food and drink on the casino floor.
With so much equipment getting so much use, the state called before opening the casinos need to have the state approve their plans to make sure cards, chips and dice regularly disinfected.
At midday Tuesday, the big four northwest Indiana casinos all indicating they are still closed. and no confirmation they'll take the state up on the 6:00 a.m. Monday reopening.
But, sources told CBS 2 they will all be ready to re-open a revenue machine that's been shuffled out of service since March.
The new guidelines just came out on Monday, these casinos are figuring out how to make this all work. Cutting capacity in half, determining how many they need to rehire, what gambling in Indiana looks like on day one of new normal.