Live! Casino Pittsburgh Holds Grand Opening With COVID-19 Safety Measures In Place
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- After months of construction and planning, Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall opened to the public today.
The doors swung open around 6 a.m., and about a dozen people were waiting to be the first inside.
It's a project that has brought a lot of jobs to the area, but opening in the middle of a pandemic is no easy feat.
As soon as you walk through the door, there is hand sanitizer and then a device to scan your temperature, which shows up on a computer screen to make sure you are safe to enter the building.
Other safety measures include mask requirements, physical distancing, and repeated cleaning of high-traffic areas like slot machines and table games.
Watch as KDKA's Chris Hoffman shows off one of the safety measures:
Signs have been placed around the casino to make sure people are aware of the safety protocols.
"I'm sure they have all their machines separated, so I know they're doing their part and I'm going to do my part," casino-goer Allen Griffin said.
"I like how they checked the temperature at the door. That was pretty nice coming in," Kevin Bosco, another casino-goer, said.
Between the slot machines, there are barriers, as well as between the guests and dealers. According to management, the AC turns the air over 12 times an hour.
"We follow CDC guidelines. We follow Pennsylvania Gaming and Control Board Guidelines, and we follow the states guidelines," General Manager Sean Sullivan said.
The casino features 750 slot machines and 30 table games.
The first floor is for people 21 and over, but the upstairs is for anyone.
It includes a 45-foot video screen, bowling, foosball, skeeball and darts. It can also seat 450 people for dining.
According to the Tribune-Review, the casino is expected to bring about $188 million in annual revenue to the area.
The casino is still looking to fill some job openings.
More information about those openings can be found here.
