Ohio governor Mike DeWine Announces Re-opening of Casino and Racino

Ohio governor Mike DeWine Announces Re-opening of Casino and Racino

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Friday that the casinos and racinos in the state should reopen to the public in the next two weeks. He said that the properties will start welcoming guests on June 18.

A long lockdown for Ohio properties

Gaming properties in Ohio were among the first in the US to shut down owing to the coronavirus pandemic. However, after three months of the shutdown, they are also among the last set of businesses to reopen. The state has four casinos and three racinos.

Ohio governor Mike DeWine Announces Re-opening of Casino and Racino

During his daily COVID-19 briefing on Friday, DeWine said that he and other officials from the state aim to reopen with a layered strategy. This means that businesses that have higher risks and involve larger crowds will have to wait until the last stages. This means that casinos would be able to open alongside water parks and amusement parks. All the businesses have their own reopening plans.

The governor said, “The goal is to make each business, each activity, each venue, as we open them up, as safe as they can be, consistent with the uniqueness of each event and consistent with actually doing the event.”

Neighbors have already started reopening

When DeWine announced the casino reopening date, the neighboring state of West Virginia had already opened its gaming businesses. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said that the horse racing parlors in the state could reopen on Monday. Indiana too is expecting an earlier reopening compared to Ohio. The state plans to reopen casinos in Phase 4 of the reopening schedule. Tribal casinos in Michigan have also started reopening. Two casinos in Pennsylvania also plan to reopen next week.

Ohio is adopting a careful approach to the situation. It has published its reopening guidelines on the coronavirus website of the state. The plan suggests that all casinos and racinos will have to specify hours for populations at risk, like the elderly. All employees will have to wear a mask but there could be exceptions. If these exceptions are made, they must be submitted to the local health officials in writing. Guests won’t be required to wear a mask but they will be encouraged to do so.

All properties will reopen with a 50% capacity. Valet and coat check services will not be available and poker remains will be shut down.

About sherlock

Sherlock Gomes loves to write and express his views on anything related to Gaming, Gambling, & Casino. He has been covering Gaming for more than two years now.