The land-based casino industry is having big plans for opening up despite the coronavirus pandemic raging on. After most of the casinos across the US were closed in March, many operators decided that it is not profitable to keep the venues closed for a long time and that they plan to end the shutdown.
However, they will have to follow strict guidelines to help prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
One business that has big re-opening plans is Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, which aims to open its doors on May 21. Although many casinos will only offer slots, for the time being, the officials of Seminole Hard Rock Tampa wanted to take a step further, so they decided to open the poker room as well.
Of course, everyone who wants to take part in playing poker will have to adhere to the guidelines that ensure maximum protection.
The PR Manager of Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, Darien Cobb, stated that poker tables would contain plexiglass dividers. These are already used around the world to protest essential workers in grocery stores and other places. The poker tables will be played six-handed, meaning the highest number of players that will be able to sit at one table is six.
On top of that, every player who takes part in the game will have to wear the face mask all the time.
Now, this doesn’t seem like a very inviting place for a poker player. Rules and regulations can sometimes be a burden, and players might not enjoy poker as they did before the pandemic. However, this is still a much better option than having no live poker options, which was the case throughout April.
To encourage its guests to play poker, the room will offer a $3 max-rake promo after it is re-opened.
Other Guidelines for Poker Players
Of course, there will be several other things that poker players will have to pay attention to if they want to play the card game in Seminole Hard Rock Tampa in Florida.
First of all, there will be a temperature check for all workers and patrons upon the entry. It’s not clear whether every person would get an individual check or some non-intrusive methods such as thermal cameras.
On top of that, everyone who enters the casino will have to wear a face mask to protect themselves and, more importantly, protect others.
Slot machines will be alternated so that no two slot players are standing close to each other. By alternating slots, Tampa solved the issue of social distancing, and that’s something that many other casinos are going to do when they re-open.
We already mentioned plexiglass barriers, but it’s important to say that they will be present at other tables as well. Therefore, people who like to play other casino games will have maximum protection.
The property will have hand-sanitizing stations, and all surfaces that people come in touch with will be cleaned thoroughly and frequently with disinfectants.
Finally, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa will only work at a 50% capacity, so the number of guests who are allowed inside the casino will be reduced by half. It’s still unclear whether the guests would come flocking in or not.
A possible scenario is that land-based casinos are going to struggle throughout the pandemic. However, many casino operators agree that working just a bit is much better than remaining closed. That’s why casino properties, especially those in Las Vegas, already have big re-opening plans.