What Will UK Casinos Be Like After COVID-19 Lockdown?
The UK COVID-19 lockdown is beginning to ease up and with casinos set to open early July, many are wondering what these extravagant and busy venues will be like after lockdown has been lifted.
Rules and Regulations
When UK brick-and-mortar venues do open up, guests will be required to enter one at a time. What’s more, most casinos will also restrict the number of people allowed to enter the casino at any given time, much in the way supermarkets have been doing throughout the lockdown.
Casinos and other social establishments will also have to enforce social distancing, ensuring that there is space between each player. What’s more, players will have to use hand sanitizer when entering the place for the first time, and joining or leaving a table game, terminal, or slot machine, and all machines, ATMs, and tables will be thoroughly cleaned after each session.
Staff will also be issued protective equipment and screens of plexiglas will be installed where possible, ensuring the safety of both casino employees and guests at the casino. Regulations will also require employees to undergo new training over casino operations regarding COVID-19 and how to enforce proper social distancing.
“Until we have found an effective vaccine, most places with social gatherings won’t return to normal. This is true for casinos but also and especially for larger events such as football games and concerts”, says Peter Morrison, editor-at-large at SmartphoneCasinos.co.uk.
However, there have been reports that some casinos, particularly those of high-class value, may not actually open on July 4th when the venues are allowed to as many of its customers come from overseas. Currently, international travel has not yet returned to normal and it may actually be a while before there is any sense of normalisation.
Other Activities and Casinos From Around The World
Also in the UK, horse racing has resumed and the Premier League is set to resume later in June. However, these activities only continue behind closed doors which mean there will be no audience at venues. However, the return of these sports will also mark the return of some form of sports betting, most of which was cancelled due to the lockdown.
Meanwhile, casinos in tourist hotspot Las Vegas have already begun opening. Similarly to casinos in Britain, many of the venues in Sin City will have to follow new rules and regulations to ensure everyone’s safety. Some casinos will feature freshly printed signage to remind punters to practice social distancing and many sites will implement new QR readers for contactless payments.
What’s more, many of the casinos have had around half of their slot machines and tables removed in order to reduce the venue’s capacity by around 50%. Like with UK casinos, plexiglas panels will be installed throughout venues to protect people, and these barriers will feature small slots where people can exchange or deal cards and chips.
With the fear and uncertainty that comes with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely that most casinos, both in the UK and outside, will struggle within the first few weeks of reopening as the public continues to adjust to life after lockdown. The former exciting and buzzing atmosphere of casinos will be completely different at the reopening, potentially even gone for the time being, and it’s going to take some time before normality resumes, but everyone must power through.
