Hard Rock Sacramento and Red Hawk tribal casinos set reopening dates

After two months of shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, two of greater Sacramento’s tribal casinos announced reopening dates Tuesday despite pleas from California Gov. Gavin Newsom to hold off and reconsider opening plans.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Wheatland said it will reopen 10 a.m. Thursday. And Red Hawk Casino in Placerville said it will open on Monday, June 1. Both tribal casinos said they will take customers’ temperatures at the door, require them to wear face masks and implement other public health measures to combat COVID-19, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.

Mark Birtha, president of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain, said the measures “meet and exceed the recommendations of the CDC and other health officials from Yuba-Sutter counties and the state of California.” The casino, which had only just opened its doors late last year, has been closed since March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes after Yuba and Sutter counties eased their restrictions after being approved by the state to push further into phase 2 of reopening.

Several new preventative measures are being implemented at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento to try and stop the spread of coronavirus, CBS13 reports. The new measures include all guests and employees being required to wear face masks, temperatures will be checked at all entrances, and plexiglass shields being put up at service windows. Occupancy levels are also being reduced all around the building.

However, the tribes are acting against the wishes of Newsom, who wrote to all gaming tribes last week and urged them to wait until California has moved into Stage 3 of his phased reopening of the economy. Stage 3, which includes movie theaters, religious services and other large gatherings, isn’t expected for a few more weeks.

Newsom acknowledged that he doesn’t have the authority to halt the casino openings, given the sovereign nation status of tribal lands. But he wrote, “This virus does not recognize jurisdictional boundaries, and it is in the best interest of public health to move toward reopening in concert.”

Only one other casino in Northern California has announced a reopening date - Rolling Hills Casino in Tehama County, on Thursday. The other four tribal casinos in the Sacramento area haven’t announced when they plan to reopen. Two casinos in San Diego County, Viejas and Jamul, reopened Monday.

Cache Creek Casino Resort announced it hopes to open in June, however, officials with the tribal casino say no date for re-opening is set. The casino is currently finalizing health safety plans for when gamers do come back.

Casino industry executives say the two-month-old shutdown has clobbered California’s tribal casinos, which generate $8 billion in annual revenue, and in many cases represent practically the tribes’ only income sources.