Gilpin County Submits Proposal to Allow Casino Table Games

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 07/29/2020

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Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.

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Casino Table Games

Like other states around the country, casinos in Colorado were forced to close in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The pandemic had a devastating impact on the gambling industry as a result of this and has resulted in a new normal for casinos and other businesses.

While casinos have recently reopened following an easing in the lockdown rules, this has been done with strict new measures in place. This includes limited capacity, enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures, and limits on the facilities in operation.

While casinos in the state were allowed to reopen and offer slot machine gaming, table games were off the menu because of the increased risks. There were fears that the infection could spread more easily with players sitting in close proximity around gaming tables in casinos.

In a bid to get table games and poker restarted at casinos, Gilpin County, which is the state’s gambling center, has now submitted a proposal to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.

Keeping Employees and Players Safe

In a recent interview, Gilpin County Commissioner, Ron Engels, said that any relaxing of the rules was certain to come with a level of risk. He also said that more stringent measures would be put into place again if there was a significant increase in cases. He stated:

In anything we do when reopening the economy, there is a certain level of risk and we have considered that, and we have a mitigation process in place. We’re absolutely willing to implement that policy to clamp back down if we are starting to see there be too many cases coming out of the casino.

As part of the proposal, Gilpin County casino officials have outlined how they will keep both their employees and players safe while reintroducing table games. This includes strict limits on the number of players allowed at each gaming table.

The proposal states that players will have to use hand sanitizer before touching the cards and that there will be an increase in the number of decks of cards so they can be changed regularly. Players will also be encouraged to handle the cards as little as possible.

In addition, employees will be asked to ensure that all players around tables are wearing masks and using hand sanitizer. The proposal states that there will be a maximum of three players at Blackjack tables, four players at roulette tables, and six at craps tables.

Low Number of Cases in Gilpin County

The proposal goes on to state that the number of confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 in Gilpin County is low. There are also 24 volunteers who have received training to assist with contact tracing and further reduce risks.

By reintroducing table games, casinos in the area hope to be able to boost revenue after several very difficult months where they were forced to close. At present, casino guests only have access to slot machines, with tables games and nearly all facilities, such as bars and restaurants, remaining closed.