LETTER: Let small, neighborhood casinos open up
May 20, 2020 - 9:00 pm
Here’s a simple concept that Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Nevada Gaming Commission may have overlooked: Why not allow small neighborhood casinos to open early in Phase 2? Say, those casinos with 40 machines or less. They can ramp up quickly, and after they present their opening plans to the Gaming Commission with appropriate restrictions — social distancing, appropriate barriers and sanitation measures — open them up.
Yes, this includes the bars. Small casinos would not draw hoards of people from out of state via air travel, which is a major complication for the large casinos and hotels.
Large casinos, I’m quite certain, are weeks away from openin, but I see no logical reason why the smaller casinos shouldn’t be allowed to open in the interim. This plan would not be at variance with Gov. Sisolak’s existing benchmarks for opening up the economy.