Masks. Screens. Extra Space. More Cleaning. No Chips. The Future of Casinos in Goa?
As countries across the world take tentative steps out of their COVID-19 l🌃ockdowns, businesses are looking at new ways to protect customers and staff as the world adjusts to a new normal.
An article from sets out action꧋s casinos in the country are set to adopt to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading.
Could the♉se methods also be employed 𒁃in Goa and other legal gambling establishments in India?
Casino visitors in the US can expect to have the💦ir temperature taken before being allowed in. And there is also the possibility in time if a rapid blood prick test can identify coronavirus straightaway t🐻hat players may also be required to take one.
The days of bustling casino floors will end, at least temporaril🦄y. Every second slot machine is likely to be taken out of service to give more space, and every other table could be removed🐓.
The Hard Rock is su�♊�ggesting each customer will have to stay 10-15 metres away from anyone else.
Not onlyꦺ will wearing face masks be mandatory, but it is also possible scree🍸ns will separate staff from customers at the bars, and even plexiglass barriers between dealers and players at the tables.
A team of cleaners will be on standby every shift to continually wipe down door handles, tables, and other surfaces. One Las Vegas casino is even plann🌟ing to hand out pl📖astic sticks for people to use to press elevator buttons.
Others are planning to give hand sanitizers to guests on arrival ൩with disposable gloves an🎃other option.
Casinos bosses are struggling with the issue of using chips, dice, and cash. It'▨s not a casino without these, but all are e♊asy ways for coronavirus to spread.
How these measures would work in Indian casiꦏnos is up for debate. Certainly, the offshore casinos in Goa would struggle to keep space between customers.
And the proposals floated by US casinไos𓆉 have to be balanced by the fact people are unlikely to want to visit casinos if the social and playing experience is so drastically different.
The river casinos of Goa have been given another six-month stay of execution recently🌠, but there is now a real po꧋ssibility they may never open in the same way again.
Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, has said his company is losing $3million a day because of the pandemic. Theꩵ industry trade group in the US states gaming in the country is worth $240 billion, employing 1.7 million people in 40 states.
Gove🧸rnments too will be keen to see them up and running - in 2016 alone, gaming taxes contributed $8.85 billion to US state and local tax revenues.
