Last updated Jan. 12.
- Thankfully, Dozens of casinos in the United States have been taking the necessary steps just like in Pennsylvania. For instance, Las Vegas' MGM and Wynn Resorts properties have shut down their operations. On a similar note, Hard Rock, which is widely known for its live entertainment offerings, has canceled all those events.
- HARRISBURG, Pa, (WHTM) — Six Pennsylvania casinos have been ordered to close all gaming activities by 6 a.m. Tuesday, March 17. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board instructed the closings.
The uncontrollable spread of COVID-19 has made it very difficult for the US casino industry to function in most states. Across the country, casinos are limiting the number of customers on their floors or are closing their doors to casual and experts bettors in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Wind Creek Bethlehem, a major Lehigh Valley employer and tourist destination, is closing for two weeks, the latest Pennsylvania casino to temporarily suspend operations amid the coronavirus crisis. Pennsylvania casinos have been closed for over two months. This week began to offer some signs on how the twelve casinos can prepare to reopen. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board released 'COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols.' It details the minimum safety and health-related requirements mandatory before reopening.
Casinos were particularly hard hit in the spring, when most were forced to shutter. On March 19, the American Gaming Associationissued a release on the crisis. AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said:
With a spike of coronavirus cases in the fall and winter of 2020, casinos are once again being forced to shut down in many states. Most casinos remain open in some respect, but that will likely change.
Though many gamblers will turn to horse betting, online casinos and online poker, our staff at PlayUSA wants to keep you up to date with a list of casino properties that have suspended operations in the wake of this global pandemic.
Alabama casinos
Wind Creek casinos in the state are open with some restrictions.
Arizona casinos
Most Arizona casinos are open subject to general COVID restrictions in the state. Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort is currently closed.
Arkansas casinos
Arkansas casinos are open, with some restrictions.
Latest report on Arkansas casinos here.
California casinos
California is currently under a stay-at-home order and capacity restrictions in most regions. However, most California tribal casinos are currently open with a variety of restrictions that don't always line up with state guidelines. More on that here.
Colorado casinos
Casinos in Colorado mostly remain open, but some such as Ute Mountain Casino Hotel have opted to close temporarily. Table games are shut down in some other casinos. More on that at PlayColorado.
Connecticut casinos
The state's two casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort, are both open with restrictions. As of the week of Dec. 1, Foxwoods announced even further restrictions and temporary closing of some hotel areas.
Latest report on casinos in Connecticut here.
Delaware casinos
The three Delaware casinos are currently open with some restrictions
- Delaware Park
- Dover Downs
- Harrington Casino and Raceway
Florida casinos
All of Florida's casinos are currently open with varying restrictions.
Idaho casinos
Most Idaho casinos remain open.
Illinois casinos
All casinos in Illinois remain closed as of Nov. 20 under an order from Gov. JB Pritzker. Visit PlayIllinois for more updates.
Indiana casinos
Indiana casinos mostly remain open, with some restrictions. Visit PlayIndiana for more updates.
Iowa casinos
All Iowa casinos are currently open, but with restrictions.
More on casinos in Iowa here.
Kansas casinos
Kansas casinos remain open for now.
Kentucky racing
There are no casinos in Kentucky.
Louisiana casinos
Most Louisiana casinos remain open, but at limited capacity.
More information here on casinos in Louisiana.
Maine casinos
Maine casinos are open but must close earlier than usual due to a curfew that has been set by the Governor. The curfew currently does not have a set end date. More on casinos in Maine here.
Maryland casinos
Maryland casinos are open, with restrictions. However, infections in Maryland via casinos have drawn some scrutiny.
Massachusetts casinos
Massachusetts' three casinos — Plainridge Park, MGM Springfield, and Encore Boston Harbor — are all open, with restrictions. More from PlayMA here.
Michigan casinos
Michigan's three commercial casinos have reopened after being closed for the second time around.
- MGM Grand
- Greektown Casino
- MotorCity Casino
Some tribal casinos have also closed their doors for now.
Minnesota casinos
Native American tribes with casinos remain open for now, with restrictions. More here.
Mississippi casinos
All 26 of the state's casinos remain open.
Missouri casinos
Missouri casinos are all open, with varying restrictions.
Montana casinos
Some of Montana's tribal casinos are closed. There are restrictions that limit capacity in casinos in the state.
Nevada casinos
Casinos in the state and in Las Vegas remain largely open, but at reduced capacity. These include Palazzo, for example, where rooms are closed seven days a week but the casino floor remains open. The Mirage began a full-scale mid-week closures to its hotel, casino and all amenities on Jan. 4. More from PlayNevadahere and more on Las Vegas specifically can be found here.
New Hampshire casinos
There is no word yet on when casinos in New Hampshire will reopen.
New Jersey casinos
Atlantic City casinos continue to stay open, with restrictions. Of course, online casinos in New Jersey, are still running.
New Mexico casinos
Worsening conditions in New Mexico have led to almost all casinos being closed. More here.
New York casinos
All New York casinos, both commercial and tribal, remain open for now.
North Carolina casinos
The only two casinos in North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino are currently open.
North Dakota casinos
Tribal casinos are generally open in North Dakota, although it is on a case by case basis.
Ohio casinos
Ohio casinos remain open, but are subject to a curfew.
Oklahoma casinos
Almost all Oklahoma casinos are currently open.
Oregon casinos
Most tribal casinos in Oregon remain open, with restrictions. Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City is one that has closed temporarily.
Pennsylvania casinos
PA casinos were allowed to re-open as of Jan. 4 after a short closure period, and most did in fact re-open that day or in subsequent days. River Casino Philadelphia remains closed at least untill Jan. 15. Updates From PlayPennsylvania here.
Rhode Island casinos
The two Rhode Island casinos, Twin River Casino in Lincoln and Tiverton, re-opened on Dec. 21.
South Dakota casinos
Many South Dakota casinos have closed because of worsening COVID cases in the state, but a few remain open.
Texas casinos
Texas casinos are currently open.
Washington casinos
The state's tribal casinos all remain open with restrictions.
West Virginia casinos
All five of West Virginia's casinos remain open, with restrictions.
Wisconsin casinos
Tribal casinos are open or closed on a case by case basis. More here.
Wyoming casinos
Casino Closure In Pa
Wyoming casinos are currently closed.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia will close on Friday, Nov. 20, and not reopen until at least Jan. 1, 2021, as a result of a series of changes to the current restrictions by the City of Philadelphia to slow the surge of coronavirus cases.
Also, fans may no longer attend games at Lincoln Financial Field. Under the 'Safer at Home' order, gatherings cannot exceed 2,000 people in any outdoor space.
'We may be tired of COVID, but COVID's not tired of us,' said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley.
New restrictions for Philadelphia
In a press release that detailed the new 'Safer at Home' restrictions,casinos fall under the category of 'business and activities that are not allowed.'
Currently, Rivers Casino Philadelphia is the only casino within Philadelphia city limits. Live! Casino Philadelphia is scheduled to open in early 2021. The South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook, according to the orders, will also have to temporarily close.
During a Monday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pointed out that the average number of reported COVID-19 positive cases has jumped at least 700% in less than two months. The average number of new cases reported per day last week was higher than the number of reported cases during the worst week in April.
'Strains on our hospitals are already showing,' said Kenney, who added that hospitalizations have jumped 600% in the last seven weeks.
'We do not take any of this lightly. Believe me, more than anything in the world, I wish none of this was necessary. But there is no doubt these changes are necessary. We need to act now to reduce the rate of increase and flatten the curve once again.'
The City of Philadelphia reported 2,564 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths on Monday.
Rivers Philadelphia road to reopening
Rivers Casino Philadelphia voluntarily closed in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Pennsylvania. It remained shuttered for four months and reopened on July 17. That marked the longest coronavirus-caused closure of any brick-and-mortar casino in PA.
Upon reopening, all casinos in PA followed health and safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
In addition, Rivers Casino Philadelphia conducted temperature checks, operated at 25% capacity (50% was the limit at other casinos) and upgraded its HVAC system to include airPHX, a patented technology that continuously disinfects indoor air and eliminates coronavirus on surfaces. The casino also has AtmosAir, an indoor air quality purification system that has proven to neutralize coronavirus by more than 99.9%.
Will other casinos in PA close again too?
On Friday, Play Pennsylvaniaasked the PA Department of Health if the rising numbers meant a return to the color-coded phases and possible temporary closures for casinos in Pennsylvania.
A representative responded:
'There is no plan at this time to return to the red, yellow, green mitigation steps and stay-at-home order that occurred in the spring.'
During Monday's press conference, Farley urged surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to join Philadelphia in enacting similar measures.
Most tribal casinos in Oregon remain open, with restrictions. Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City is one that has closed temporarily.
Pennsylvania casinos
PA casinos were allowed to re-open as of Jan. 4 after a short closure period, and most did in fact re-open that day or in subsequent days. River Casino Philadelphia remains closed at least untill Jan. 15. Updates From PlayPennsylvania here.
Rhode Island casinos
The two Rhode Island casinos, Twin River Casino in Lincoln and Tiverton, re-opened on Dec. 21.
South Dakota casinos
Many South Dakota casinos have closed because of worsening COVID cases in the state, but a few remain open.
Texas casinos
Texas casinos are currently open.
Washington casinos
The state's tribal casinos all remain open with restrictions.
West Virginia casinos
All five of West Virginia's casinos remain open, with restrictions.
Wisconsin casinos
Tribal casinos are open or closed on a case by case basis. More here.
Wyoming casinos
Casino Closure In Pa
Wyoming casinos are currently closed.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia will close on Friday, Nov. 20, and not reopen until at least Jan. 1, 2021, as a result of a series of changes to the current restrictions by the City of Philadelphia to slow the surge of coronavirus cases.
Also, fans may no longer attend games at Lincoln Financial Field. Under the 'Safer at Home' order, gatherings cannot exceed 2,000 people in any outdoor space.
'We may be tired of COVID, but COVID's not tired of us,' said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley.
New restrictions for Philadelphia
In a press release that detailed the new 'Safer at Home' restrictions,casinos fall under the category of 'business and activities that are not allowed.'
Currently, Rivers Casino Philadelphia is the only casino within Philadelphia city limits. Live! Casino Philadelphia is scheduled to open in early 2021. The South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook, according to the orders, will also have to temporarily close.
During a Monday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pointed out that the average number of reported COVID-19 positive cases has jumped at least 700% in less than two months. The average number of new cases reported per day last week was higher than the number of reported cases during the worst week in April.
'Strains on our hospitals are already showing,' said Kenney, who added that hospitalizations have jumped 600% in the last seven weeks.
'We do not take any of this lightly. Believe me, more than anything in the world, I wish none of this was necessary. But there is no doubt these changes are necessary. We need to act now to reduce the rate of increase and flatten the curve once again.'
The City of Philadelphia reported 2,564 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths on Monday.
Rivers Philadelphia road to reopening
Rivers Casino Philadelphia voluntarily closed in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Pennsylvania. It remained shuttered for four months and reopened on July 17. That marked the longest coronavirus-caused closure of any brick-and-mortar casino in PA.
Upon reopening, all casinos in PA followed health and safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
In addition, Rivers Casino Philadelphia conducted temperature checks, operated at 25% capacity (50% was the limit at other casinos) and upgraded its HVAC system to include airPHX, a patented technology that continuously disinfects indoor air and eliminates coronavirus on surfaces. The casino also has AtmosAir, an indoor air quality purification system that has proven to neutralize coronavirus by more than 99.9%.
Will other casinos in PA close again too?
On Friday, Play Pennsylvaniaasked the PA Department of Health if the rising numbers meant a return to the color-coded phases and possible temporary closures for casinos in Pennsylvania.
A representative responded:
'There is no plan at this time to return to the red, yellow, green mitigation steps and stay-at-home order that occurred in the spring.'
During Monday's press conference, Farley urged surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to join Philadelphia in enacting similar measures.
The closest casinos to Philadelphia (with Rivers closed) include:
- Harrah's Philadelphia (Delaware County)
- Valley Forge Casino (Montgomery County)
- Parx Casino (Bucks County)
Atlantic City is about an hour drive from Philadelphia.
Fans barred from the Linc again
Are Pa Casinos Closed
In mid-October, the Philadelphia Eagles got the green light to allow fans back at Lincoln Financial Field. The stadium occupancy was 7,500 people, which included players, coaches, team and stadium personnel. It allowed for 5,500 to 6,000 fans to be in attendance.
When Will Pennsylvania Casinos Reopen
Mayor Kenney said the new orders will be in effect until 'at least January 1.' The Eagles' last home game is Jan. 3 against the Washington Football Team.
Are Pa Casinos Closing Again
Note: This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is released.
Nevada Casinos Closure
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz
