© ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS Michael Condello of Bradley Beach, N.J., plays video poker at the July 2 reopening of Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia, the only Pennsylvania casino that did not reopen after the three-month coronavirus lockdown, is 'hopeful' of reopening next week, a state regulator said Wednesday.
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Rivers Casino Philadelphia, the first casino in the city of Philadelphia, is conveniently located on the picturesque Delaware River Waterfront. Located in Philly's lively Fishtown neighborhood, Rivers Casino Philadelphia took over the site of the former Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, and was previously named SugarHouse Casino. With the rebranding and Grand Re-Opening as Rivers Casino Philadelphia, we have also launched a new casino floor, SportsBook, and reward points program. We hope that you will come visit us again and see what Rivers Casino Philadelphia has for you!
But smoking? That's no longer permitted indoors at any casino.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia, along with the other 11 casinos in Pennsylvania, will limit customers to 50% of capacity, impose face-mask and hygiene requirements, and limit the number of slot machines in operation and of players at table games, Kevin O'Toole, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, told board members on Wednesday.
Thomas Farley, the city health commissioner, had announced that the casino could reopen July 3 if staff and patrons wore masks, social distancing measures were enforced, and no eating, drinking or smoking were permitted.
Despite the measures, untamed COVID-19 continues to imperil an industry whose central attraction is social interaction. The American Gaming Association announced Wednesday that it is canceling its Global Gaming Expo in October, which draws about 30,000 attendees and exhibitors to Las Vegas.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, the sister casino to the Philadelphia property formerly called SugarHouse, was among the first in the state to reopen last month, but it was forced to shut its doors again on July 2 after the Allegheny County Department of Health ordered bars, restaurants and the casino to halt in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Pittsburgh.
O'Toole said the Pittsburgh casino was 'temporarily closed for a one-week period,' but a spokesman for the casino, Jack Horner, said the reopening was indefinite. More than half of the casino's 1,700 employees who returned to work last month have been affected by the closure, he said. The Rivers casinos are owned by Rush Street Gaming.
Pennsylvania casinos, which shut down poker rooms and buffets when they reopened after the lockdown, last week also implemented one of the more dramatic COVID-19 countermeasures: A temporary halt to all smoking indoors. New Jersey had enacted a similar ban as a condition to reopening Atlantic City casinos on July 2.
O'Toole said some casinos are offering an open-air area outside the casino for smokers, as long as they also practice social distancing.
The Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008 prohibits smoking in public places except for casinos, drinking establishments, cigar bars, and private clubs. The law requires at least half of the space in a casino be designated nonsmoking. The industry fought to allow smoking in casinos because of its strong association to gambling; previous efforts to ban smoking in casinos in other states led to a dramatic decline in wagering and tax revenue.
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©2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Rivers Casino Philadelphia will close on Friday, Nov. 20, and not reopen until at least Jan. 1, 2021, as a result of a series of changes to the current restrictions by the City of Philadelphia to slow the surge of coronavirus cases.
Also, fans may no longer attend games at Lincoln Financial Field. Under the 'Safer at Home' order, gatherings cannot exceed 2,000 people in any outdoor space.
'We may be tired of COVID, but COVID's not tired of us,' said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia Online
New restrictions for Philadelphia
Pennsylvania casinos, which shut down poker rooms and buffets when they reopened after the lockdown, last week also implemented one of the more dramatic COVID-19 countermeasures: A temporary halt to all smoking indoors. New Jersey had enacted a similar ban as a condition to reopening Atlantic City casinos on July 2.
O'Toole said some casinos are offering an open-air area outside the casino for smokers, as long as they also practice social distancing.
The Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008 prohibits smoking in public places except for casinos, drinking establishments, cigar bars, and private clubs. The law requires at least half of the space in a casino be designated nonsmoking. The industry fought to allow smoking in casinos because of its strong association to gambling; previous efforts to ban smoking in casinos in other states led to a dramatic decline in wagering and tax revenue.
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©2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer
Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia will close on Friday, Nov. 20, and not reopen until at least Jan. 1, 2021, as a result of a series of changes to the current restrictions by the City of Philadelphia to slow the surge of coronavirus cases.
Also, fans may no longer attend games at Lincoln Financial Field. Under the 'Safer at Home' order, gatherings cannot exceed 2,000 people in any outdoor space.
'We may be tired of COVID, but COVID's not tired of us,' said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia Online
New restrictions for Philadelphia
In a press release that detailed the new 'Safer at Home' restrictions,casinos fall under the category of 'business and activities that are not allowed.'
Currently, Rivers Casino Philadelphia is the only casino within Philadelphia city limits. Live! Casino Philadelphia is scheduled to open in early 2021. The South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook, according to the orders, will also have to temporarily close.
During a Monday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pointed out that the average number of reported COVID-19 positive cases has jumped at least 700% in less than two months. The average number of new cases reported per day last week was higher than the number of reported cases during the worst week in April.
'Strains on our hospitals are already showing,' said Kenney, who added that hospitalizations have jumped 600% in the last seven weeks.
'We do not take any of this lightly. Believe me, more than anything in the world, I wish none of this was necessary. But there is no doubt these changes are necessary. We need to act now to reduce the rate of increase and flatten the curve once again.'
The City of Philadelphia reported 2,564 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths on Monday.
Rivers Philadelphia road to reopening
Rivers Casino Philadelphia voluntarily closed in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Pennsylvania. It remained shuttered for four months and reopened on July 17. That marked the longest coronavirus-caused closure of any brick-and-mortar casino in PA.
Upon reopening, all casinos in PA followed health and safety guidelines from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
In addition, Rivers Casino Philadelphia conducted temperature checks, operated at 25% capacity (50% was the limit at other casinos) and upgraded its HVAC system to include airPHX, a patented technology that continuously disinfects indoor air and eliminates coronavirus on surfaces. The casino also has AtmosAir, an indoor air quality purification system that has proven to neutralize coronavirus by more than 99.9%.
Will other casinos in PA close again too?
On Friday, Play Pennsylvaniaasked the PA Department of Health if the rising numbers meant a return to the color-coded phases and possible temporary closures for casinos in Pennsylvania.
A representative responded:
'There is no plan at this time to return to the red, yellow, green mitigation steps and stay-at-home order that occurred in the spring.'
Rivers Casino Philadelphia Online
During Monday's press conference, Farley urged surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to join Philadelphia in enacting similar measures.
The closest casinos to Philadelphia (with Rivers closed) include:
- Harrah's Philadelphia (Delaware County)
- Valley Forge Casino (Montgomery County)
- Parx Casino (Bucks County)
Max materia slots ff7 remake. Atlantic City is about an hour drive from Philadelphia.
Fans barred from the Linc again
In mid-October, the Philadelphia Eagles got the green light to allow fans back at Lincoln Financial Field. The stadium occupancy was 7,500 people, which included players, coaches, team and stadium personnel. It allowed for 5,500 to 6,000 fans to be in attendance.
Mayor Kenney said the new orders will be in effect until 'at least January 1.' The Eagles' last home game is Jan. 3 against the Washington Football Team.
Note: This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is released. Gambling skills synonyms thesaurus.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz
