Vegas Re-opening Part 1

Las Vegas casinos were allowed to reopen at 12:01 AM on June 4. That afternoon, I paid a visit to several of them on the north Strip. Many stores and restaurants within the casinos were still closed and some casinos, like the Mirage, chose to not reopen yet.

Here are some things I noticed in general that day:

• The staff everywhere seemed to be happy to be back to work and were very helpful and polite.
• As the first day open after 2.5 months, I predicted everybody would be eager to play, but that wasn’t the case. Most gaming tables were standing dead and the restaurants had few customers.
• About half of casinos took your temperature to be allowed entry. I was told the cutoff was 102 degrees at the Wynn. Who are these people with 102-degree fevers that are out exploring the Strip? I’d feel safer if the cutoff point were closer to 99.
• While staff seemed to be all masked, it was optional for guests. I would estimate about 20% were wearing them. Not much effort seemed to be taken at social distancing.
• Half of the machines in slot machine banks were turned off. In circular islands of machines, which are common at the Venetian, all of them were on.
• Some casinos had plexiglass barriers at the tables games, like the Bellagio, some didn’t, like the Treasure Island, and some had a mix, like the Wynn.
• Hand sanitizing stations were pervasive, but the Bellagio had hand-washing stations right on the casino floor. My compliments.
• Sorry, but all buffets and shows are still closed.
• Elevators had a rule of a maximum of four people at a time, but nobody was enforcing it at the Treasure Island, at least leading to/from the parking garage.

 

I plan to visit more casinos elsewhere in Vegas and report next week on the scene downtown.

For now, I have more thoughts and pictures about Vegas’ opening day in my Wizard of Vegas blog.

Written by: Michael Shackleford