Strict Rules Put into Place for Colorado Casinos

By Jane Shaw Senior Editor Updated: 06/20/2020

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Strict New Rules

Casinos across the state of Colorado are gearing up to reopen over the next week following three months of closure. However, it is been revealed that there will be strict prohibitions in place to help ensure the safety of both patrons and employees at the casinos. This includes strict rules on visitor numbers as well as the facilities that are available upon reopening.

The casinos in Cripple Creek are all scheduled to reopen their doors on June 15th, while casinos in Black Hawk and Central City are set to open just a couple of days later on June 17th. Officials from Colorado’s casinos expect the demand to be very high based on what they have seen at other casinos that have reopened around the country.

A Slow Comeback for Casinos

While demand for casino entertainment is likely to be extremely high, the new rules that are in place will mean that the comeback for the state’s casinos will be a slow one. All casinos were closed in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and properties around the country have only recently started to reopen.

While casino officials in Colorado are looking forward to welcoming visitors again, they realize that the process will be a slow one. This is partly down to recent prohibitions that were put into place by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

At the weekend, Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the state health director, approved a 50-page variance request for Gilpin County. However, she has also put prohibitions into place in relation to visitor numbers and table games.

The number of gamblers allowed in confined indoor spaces at the casinos has been capped at 175 for smaller casinos. In addition, table games at the properties will be prohibited until further notice.

Some larger casinos, such as those in Black Hawk, will be able to welcome more than 175 guests at a time, as they have far more space and multiple floors. This means they can adhere to the health department’s rule of 28 square feet per visitor even with more than 175 guests.

While the casinos will be opening, there will not be the big crowds and bustling atmosphere that was the norm prior to the COVID-19 closures. The large crowds that are typically found inside casinos and at gaming tables could result in a spike in infections, which is why state health officials have put these prohibitions into place.

Opening Casinos Around the Same Time

Suggestions had been put forward for the smaller casinos in counties like Gilpin to open before the larger properties in areas like Black Hawk. This was suggested as a means of allowing smaller properties to try and make up some of the revenue lost over recent months.

However, it was decided that all casinos across the state should open around the same time to avoid big crowds gathering outside properties that opened early.

Gilpin County Commissioner Ron Engels said:

When casinos opened in other states, they all saw huge pent-up demand. People were standing in line at the doors. We did not want our smaller casinos overrun the day they opened, so everyone agreed that the 17th for everyone was going to be a better solution.

In the meantime, casino managers and employees have been working behind the scenes to ensure that social distancing can be maintained at the casinos when they reopen.