Louisiana casinos first in country to make a return to gambling
RAYNE, La. (KLFY) Many of the casinos under the Louisiana gaming control board will reopen Monday with specific guidelines to follow.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman, Ronnie Jones says each property has a set of requirements pre-approved by state police.
Director of Gaming for Black Gold Casino in Rayne Michelle Dupre says her staff is eager to get back to work.
“We miss our customers so much. You don’t realize how much they’ve become family until they’re not around you all the time.”
Dupre says a lot of preparation has taken place inside and outside the casino including remodeling.
“We’ve painted. We have changed carpets in some of our locations. We’ve done a lot of that kind of prep work. We cleaned from top to bottom,” Dupre added.
Chairman Jones says the 25% reduction in gamers allowed on the premises will be enforced.
Some smaller properties he adds will probably wait until the capacity count increases to reopen.
The change is a challenge for everyone.
“I read this morning it’s going to be challenge for some restaurants but I think the governor is being cautious for reason; because you have to balance-out the risks and the benefits” Jones noted.
Jones calls the reopening plan an intense effort to conform to all the CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of the contagion.
“There is always a check point to check people’s ID’s. At the point you will non-invasively have your temperature taken. They will ask you a series of questions that are the CDC guidelines on symptoms of the coronavirus. They will ask you if you want a mask and if you don’t have one,” Jones explained.
Over on the gaming floor you will see all the employees wearing masks. You are going to see alot more sanitation products that are available. You may see slot machines that are taken out of service to provide for social distancing,” Jones noted.
David Strow of Boyd Gaming provided a statement on behalf of Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in St. Landry Parish:
“We are very excited for the opportunity to resume business at Evangeline Downs. We are still receiving direction on protocols from state officials. Once we know the reopening conditions we can determine a reopening date and we’ll share that information as soon as we can,” Strow stated.
A statement from Jeff Morris , Vice President, Public Affairs & Government Relations at L’Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge, said:
“The safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers is our top priority. With this in mind, we have been working closely with the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and state and local leaders to finalize a comprehensive plan for the reopening of L’Auberge Baton Rouge. Our new health and safety protocols are expected to include temperature checks, requiring our employees to wear masks, enhanced cleaning procedures, and enforcing social distancing requirements, among others. We look forward to sharing more specific details prior to the reopening next week.”