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ASSOCIATED PRESS / MARCH 21, 2020
A sign advises people to practice social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus at the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign amid a shutdown of casinos along the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas.
Now two months into the shutdown, there’s still no firm plan for the reopening of the casinos, but the path to that goal is becoming clearer.
The most rigid of the stay-at-home orders have been relaxed and many businesses will be allowed to resume operations on May 15. That doesn’t include bars and casinos; however, Nevada’s governor has ceded authority to greenlight those openings to the Gaming Control Board.
It now appears that the board is only requiring that casinos submit a plan indicating that they’re following a mandated checklist of precautions, and that they be otherwise prepared to conduct business, to be granted approval to open.
While several resorts are taking reservations as early as May 15, most of the major companies now say they plan to partially open their casinos and restaurants on June 1.
Sports books returning: With the UFC and NASCAR resuming their schedules, the Las Vegas sports books that turned off their mobile betting apps are beginning to start them up again. South Point and Westgate both resumed mobile betting last week and others that had shut down are expected to soon follow suit.
Local chefs shine: Two Las Vegas chefs are among the six finalists for the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Southwest (Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma) and both are from noncasino restaurants. Dan Krohmer runs Other Mama, La Monja and Hatsumi and James Trees is in charge at Esther’s Kitchen, Ada’s and 108 Eats.
Festival canceled: Even as a general resumption of business becomes more likely, the cancellations of major events continue with word that downtown’s three-day Life Is Beautiful Art & Music Festival is off. Previously scheduled to run Sept. 18-20, LIB will take the year off and return in September 2021.
Question: Are casinos opening yet in other states?
Answer: Not all casinos in any state, but some. Last week a single casino opened in Idaho, one in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a few in Montana and an unstated number were on deck in Washington and Deadwood, S.D.
For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.
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