NCGB Issues New Regulations for Reopening Casinos

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 05/09/2020

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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.

Person Playing Poker, Photo by © Pexels

In a recent move, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has released health and safety measures for Las Vegas casinos to implement when they re-open. Brick-and-mortar casinos have been closed since the middle of March as part of the lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are no firm dates with regard to when casinos across the USA, along with other businesses, will re-open. However, measures have already been discussed in preparation for when this does happen. The new measures put forward by the NGCB will result in a very different environment inside casinos, as they will have to ensure strict adherence to social distancing regulations.

What the New Measures Mean for Casinos

While many people enjoy the excitement of big crowds at casino tables, this is something that will change when casinos are allowed to open again. The measures being put into place will mean fewer people around tables in the casino. There will be less seating and betting options, with only a handful of people allowed at each table.

The measures state that casinos should be at no more than 50% of their building’s maximum occupancy levels. Managers at casinos will be responsible for ensuring there are no big crowds around tables and that additional cleaning measures are put into place.

Under these new rules, casinos will have to make big changes to help ensure the safety of both employees and customers. Poker tables should accommodate no more than four players, and there is also a four-player maximum on roulette tables. Craps tables have a maximum of six players and there should be no more than three players at blackjack tables.

The NGCB said that it expects all casinos to comply with the new measures. In a memo, the board said that the policy was created in order to “diminish personal contact and increase the level of disinfection in high-use areas.”

The memo went on to state:

This Policy constitutes the minimum requirements that should be followed and does not preclude a gaming licensee from implementing its own additional requirements.

This means that it’s not unlikely that some casinos will also take extra measures to lessen interaction between players in their premises.

Further Protective Measures

In addition to limiting the number of players at casino tables, the new measures also specify additional steps that casinos should take. This includes ensuring all croupiers have hand sanitizer available.

The policy also states that all tables, gaming areas, and surfaces need to be properly cleaned and disinfected. As part of this, casino employees need to be properly trained on how to maintain these cleaning measures, as well as on issues such as hand washing and social distancing.

There is now speculation over how the new regulations will impact rake, which is commonly reduced where games are played short-handed. With these measures resulting in short-handed poker games, it could yield lower rake.

There is also concern about the impact the new measures will have on poker tournaments at brick-and-mortar casinos once they re-open. This could result in a push to take more tournaments online, as it is unknown how long these regulations will stay in place.