Can Casinos Open
- Casinos have also reopened in nearby states like Montana. New Orleans, Louisiana. John Bel Edward announced on May 11 that Louisiana casinos would be allowed to open their floors on May 15 at a reduced capacity of 25%.
- The hotel and casino remain open 24-hours a day. In-room dining is available 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday and select hours Monday through Friday. After 10 p.m., Borgata will offer takeout from Bread + Butter, Noodles of the World, and the Grab & Go section of The Marketplace Eatery.
Sandia Casino has not been open since March. Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel closing over COVID-19 surge Route 66 Casino, meanwhile, shut down in mid-October over a COVID outbreak.
Last week, hundreds of people poured through the doors of Nevada casinos, which reopened after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, it is illegal for churches in Nevada to meet with more than 50 people.
This unequal treatment of churches is why Alliance Defending Freedom sued Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on behalf of Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley.
The First Amendment requires religious organizations to be treated no less favorably than secular organizations. In fact, in a previous ADF case, the Supreme Court said that violating this principle and discriminating against religious organizations is “odious to our Constitution.”
Yet unequal treatment is exactly what we’re seeing in Nevada. Casinos are open for business. Slot machine handles are being pulled. Poker chips are being passed. Barstools are filled. Advertisements exclaim that “Vegas is back.”
But churches face criminal and civil penalties if they dare open the doors to 50 or more fellow believers. Somehow, Nevada has decided this is the best way to reopen the state. And it doesn’t think that plan poses a First Amendment issue.
Can Casinos Open In Tier 3
Gov. Steve Sisolak can’t expect anyone to believe that his unequal regulation of church services—while opening wide the doors of casinos—is a fair and logical way to flatten the curve.
Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, like many churches across the state, wants to resume in-person worship services. In order to reopen, it plans to implement reasonable health and safety protocols. Those policies include meeting at less than 50 percent of its building’s capacity and practicing social distancing.
So far, a number of Nevada churches have been denied the freedom to assemble and worship together. But if you’re looking to gather with hundreds of strangers for a night on the town—maybe over hours of poker—be Nevada’s guest.
We can’t allow this kind of government overreach, trampling on our First Amendment freedom. After all, religious freedom is a preeminent right—it shouldn’t take a backseat to things like gambling.
The ADF Church Alliance team is working to ensure that government officials do not treat churches worse than secular organizations and to ensure that they respect our constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. So far, the ADF Church Alliance has successfully defended churches from similar government overreach in over a dozen legal matters, all across the country.
Ryan Tucker serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Christian Ministries with Alliance Defending Freedom. He oversees all litigation efforts to maintain and defend the constitutionally protected freedom of churches, Christian ministries, and religious schools to exercise their rights under the First Amendment.
Editor's Note: This piece originally appeared on Alliance Defending Freedom.
On Sunday evening, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolakannounced new capacity limits and restrictions to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Sisolak did not order a complete shutdown of nonessential businesses, including casinos, as he did earlier this year. Rather, he emphasized the significance of keeping them open.
“My goal is to aggressively try to attack this spread while maintaining some portion of our economy and our daily life.”
The new restrictions will begin Tuesday, a day after the governor introduces an emergency directive. Sisolak and his team will monitor the spread of coronavirus in Nevada over the next three weeks. After this period, he could extend, amend or end the new restrictions for businesses, residents and visitors.
New casino restrictions for Nevada casinos
The new restrictions will reduce capacity in most venues, limit public gatherings, and increase mask use. The attempted return to normalcy for casinos will be slowed down but not stopped entirely.
Nevada currently stands as a red zone for this global pandemic. During his press conference, Sisolak repeatedly stated that the virus is spreading like wildfire, noting that 24% of all COVID-19 cases in the Silver State arose in November.
That said, casinos — already slow during weekdays — will not undergo many changes.
Properties will reduce their respective capacities from 50% to 25% of legal occupancy. Once again, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) will implement and enforce these requirements. This will be the first major task for new chairmanJ. Brin Gibson.
Sisolak said that casinos that do not comply with the capacity limits will suffer consequences. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the NGCB has acted on only nine complaints against casino licensees since late July.
The governor has already spoken with most casino operators about the new restrictions.
Can Casinos Open In Tier 2
'We are aware of the governor’s new restrictions, effective Tuesday and in place for three weeks, and are immediately working to adjust our operations to comply,' @MGMResortsIntl said Sunday following @GovSisolak's decision to reduce casino capacity to 25% @GamblingComp
— Chris Sieroty (@sierotyfeatures) November 23, 2020
Restaurants and shows at Nevada casinos also affected
Everyone in Nevada must now wear a face covering at all times, including outside. Sisolak encourages everyone to keep a mask on even while eating and drinking. Masks should only be removed while taking a bite or a drink.
Restaurants, including those in casinos, will also reduce capacity limits from 50% to 25%. All indoor dining will require a reservation. There will also be a limit to how many people can dine together. For at least the next three weeks, no more than four people can sit at the same table.
Shows recently started to return to casinos, but some might not remain open with the new restrictions. Like casinos and restaurants, the capacity for shows will decrease from 50% to 25%. The new directive reduces the total capacity of public gatherings from 250 to 50 people.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, MGM Resortswill shut down shows during the three-week period. Caesars Entertainment is looking for a way to keep its shows running. An outside vendor operates “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace, which will continue with performances.
What about hotels in Nevada?
The new capacity restrictions shouldn’t have much of an effect on casinos Monday through Thursday. The hotels at the following casinos are already closed due to low midweek demand:
- Encore
- The Linq
- Mandalay Bay (Four Season and Delano are open)
- The Mirage
- The Palazzo
- Park MGM (NoMad is open)
- Planet Hollywood
Without live entertainment or conventions, more midweek closures could occur regardless of the new capacity restrictions.
The weekends are another story. During its most recent earnings call, Caesars touted having 90% capacity in its Las Vegas hotels during the weekend. The new capacity limits could decrease how many hotel rooms casino operators can sell.
Having a high weekend hotel occupancy is possible because hotel rooms are only part of the overall building capacity. Casinos can track overall capacity with surveillance and accounting systems already in place. The NGCB will keep tabs to ensure the new restrictions are being followed.
No coronavirus shutdown yet in Nevada
Sisolak ordered Nevada casinos to close in mid-March to help slow the spread of coronavirus. They were allowed to reopenJune 4, but the impact of those closures on the Nevada economy will last for years.
The new restrictions go into place so that Nevada doesn’t have to shut down all nonessential businesses again. That said, the first shutdown did help to reduce the number of coronavirus cases in the Silver State.
If the new restrictions don’t help slow the spread of coronavirus over the next three weeks, it’s possible that Nevada casinos and other nonessential businesses could see another shutdown before the year is over.