[custom_adv] The pair strolled an open-but-empty Fremont Street with masks on before hitting happy hour at the Downtown Cocktail Room and, finally, the D Las Vegas casino right after it opened at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Loarca slid $1 into a "Quick Hit'' penny slot machine and quickly got the bonus, the holy grail for slot players of all budgets. It paid $2.17. [custom_adv] Finally, for the first time since March 18, the slot machines are spinning and cards flying at the table games as the gaming industry begins its slow recovery after nearly 80 days of being dormant. [custom_adv] Neighborhood casinos and those in downtown were the first to welcome visitors with most opening at 12:01 a.m. The Strip properties, such as Wynn, were waiting until the morning. [custom_adv] Each property’s reopening plan had to be approved by the Gaming Control Board. The plans included enhanced safety standards, such as limiting the number of players at table games, sanitation stations at every turn, and thermal scans for employees and guests before entering the property. A fever is one of the symptoms of COVID-19. [custom_adv] Blackjack tables had three chairs instead of six, but the night’s first players didn’t seem to mind. One let out a shout, apparently because of a winning hand, at 12:15 a.m. About a half-dozen Metro Police officers strolled the gaming floor. [custom_adv] With casinos all over the Las Vegas Valley cleared to open Thursday, many more visitors are expected to return to the downtown area and the Strip this week. Although the Haneys had to jump through several hoops to adjust their air travel and hotel reservation plans, they said they were happy to be back in Las Vegas for the first time since November. [custom_adv] Hotel-casinos in downtown and suburban Las Vegas were first to open right after midnight. Several dozen people waited at the high-rise D Hotel and Casino on Fremont Street to have their temperatures checked at the door. The casino quickly filled with revelers and gamblers while a bartender danced, wearing lingerie and a surgical mask. [custom_adv] Las Vegas Strip casinos opened hours later in a nod to recent nighttime protests over the death of George Floyd, some of which turned violent. A Las Vegas police officer remains hospitalized after being shot in the head late Monday during a protest on the Strip, and a man who authorities say was armed with several guns was shot and killed the same night outside downtown federal buildings. [custom_adv] Employees wore masks, but not many customers, at about a dozen places Hwang said he stopped before going to the Treasure Island casino, which opened quietly about 9 a.m. with seats removed to limit players at table games and slot machines. The few people entering found no greeters at the door and no temperature checks. [custom_adv] State gambling regulators, citing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, required resorts to provide temperature screenings for hotel guests, but not casino patrons. Employees can be required to wear facial coverings, and customers were encouraged to do so. [custom_adv] 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 severe illness and death. The vast majority of people recover. [custom_adv] Recovery from the recession took years — reaching best-ever numbers last January and February, when taxable casino winnings topped $1 billion each month and unemployment was at an all-time low 3.6%. [custom_adv] in the city started to reopen for the first time since coronavirus closures. Crowds of people had lined up across Las Vegas late Wednesday night as after 78 days of shutdown, the public were allowed back into casinos transformed by new health and safety measures to combat the spread of the virus. [custom_adv] All staff wore masks or face shields as they returned for the first time since March 18 and gamblers were stationed further apart at tables as part of the new protocol. [custom_adv] Many casinos have also constructed glass partitions between slot machines and gamblers at tables to keep them apart and in certain hotels guests were required to take a temperature check before they entered. [custom_adv] The gaming floor of The D, a popular casino in downtown Las Vegas, was swarmed with people in the early hours of the casino's reopening. A video of the gaming floor posted by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Mick Akers shows crowds too close to be able to maintain social distancing, though dealers and dancers can be seen wearing masks. [custom_adv] Nevada began phase one of its reopening May 9 with restaurants and hair salons. Gyms and fitness facilities were allowed to open during phase two, which began May 29. As more casinos reopen, the downtown strip of Las Vegas is likely to see more visitors in the coming days. [custom_adv] Casinos are required to follow health and safety guidelines published by Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, including social distancing protocols, plexiglass barriers and temperature checks, not to mention casinos can only operate at 50% capacity. [custom_adv] Customers were eager to return and start gambling again, but in some cases, casinos struggled to maintain social distancing amid large crowds: A video of The D Las Vegas casino’s gaming floor shows it completely packed with people in close proximity to each other. [custom_adv] America’s gambling mecca began reopening on June 4, just over a week after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak first announced the news that they would be allowed to so and three months after they closed due to the pandemic.
