Casinos reopen their doors in England

As part of the latest easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, theaters, bowling alleys, and casinos were allowed to reopen on Saturday in England.

From Saturday, physically distanced audiences will be allowed back into indoor venues, while wedding receptions of up to 30 people will also be permitted, the Guardian reports.

Grosvenor Casinos, which has a portfolio of 52 casinos across the UK, said it was reopening 35 in England. Coronavirus safety measures include a capacity cap, voluntary PPE and face coverings for guests and staff, screens on gaming tables and machines, hand sanitiser stations and contactless payments.

Jonathon Swaine, managing director at Grosvenor Casinos, said: "We’ve been ready to reopen safely for a number of weeks and we are delighted we can now finally welcome back our customers to enjoy our casinos safely once more."

Genting casinos said it would be opening the majority of its casinos on Saturday. A spokesman said: "After weeks of meticulous planning, we are fully confident that our casinos are ready for re-opening. This is what we have been building towards for some time now, and the delays we have experienced have of course been hugely frustrating and damaging to the business. The re-opening is therefore incredibly exciting for all involved and we cannot wait to welcome customers back into our casinos."

The permission to resume operations has come with a rule that prevents players from touching their cards, although they may still touch their chips, iNTER GAME reports.

Under this new restriction, hands dealt will have to be done so face up, but in games like three-card poker players traditionally have their hands dealt face down. Then they make a wager if they think they can beat the dealer and adopt the famous poker face.

Now everyone can see one another’s cards, giving them a better chance of working out the strength of the dealer’s cards.

Simon Thomas, owner of the Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square said: "It gives the customers a slight advantage but it’s a necessary move. We have placed screens at the table and all gambling will have to be done seated."

One game, craps, is a victim of the precautions, however. The game, which traditionally involves large groups of players around a table to bet on how the dice roll, has no logical way forward.

The lockdown restrictions were due to be eased on 1 August, but a rise in coronavirus cases at the time resulted in them being paused for two weeks.

The reopening comes as the prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced tougher fines for people repeatedly not wearing a mask.

At present, people who refuse to wear a face covering where it is required face a £100 fine, which can be reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days, but under the new measures, that penalty will double for subsequent offences, up to a maximum of £3,200.

The Betting and Gaming Council welcomes “belated” casino reopening

Standards body The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said the news that casinos in England were able to reopen this weekend were “belated” good news and a “welcome relief” for the 12,000 employees working in the sector, but difficult days lie ahead for the industry.

Michael Dugher, Chief Executive of the BGC said: "This belated good news will come as a welcome relief to the 12,000 people employed in the casino sector in England. We regret that it has taken so long for staff to return to work - long after all manner of venues and activities, that don’t have anything like the anti-covid measures you will see in any casino, were reopened.

"Given casinos had been cleared by Public Health England as safe to reopen and given we had the strong support of DCMS, who have been steadfast throughout, it was lamentable that our safe businesses had to suffer considerable hurt and expense with a further pointless two week delay.

"Casinos are not yet out of the woods though. The last five months has left many casinos on the brink and the next few months will be particularly crucial to their recovery as the tourism, leisure and hospitality sector slowly gets back on its feet. This sector can play an important part in our national economic recovery and I hope ministers will continue to work closely with the industry to provide support through this difficult period. In return, casinos will continue to play their part in helping to revive our city centres and nighttime economy, as well as supporting the country through the £1 billion economic contribution it makes in direct and indirect Gross Value Added."

Earlier this week, the BGC called for an extension of the furlough scheme to help offset the £14 million cost to the industry caused by the Government’s earlier u-turn, Politics Home reports.

Casinos in Scotland and Wales remain shuttered, although the Scottish Government has indicated that they can open on 24 August.

Michael Dugher added: "We hope that the Scottish Government will be true to its stated commitment about helping businesses, and allow casinos in Scotland to reopen as scheduled on 24th August. Casinos have invested heavily in new Covid safeguards. There can be no justification for further delaying their opening. We continue to urge the Welsh Government to fully engage with the sector and seek the reassurances we can provide to bring about the safe reopening of casinos in Wales."