A Glance At When Illinois Casinos Could Potentially Reopen Their Doors

Illinois gamblers are unsure of when the exact will take place in Illinois after hearing that Missouri casinos may open their doors on June 1. & nbsp,

What’s the answer? No one knows.

Although the Missouri Gaming Commission initially granted casinos permission to open on May 15, the decision was delayed to align better with local government opening dates, according to radio station KMOX-AM.

There is no set schedule for reopening for Illinois casinos near the St. Louis area, Casino Queen and Argosy Casino Alton.

Illinois’s economical impact is considerable.

In an interview with NPR news station WBEZ-FM, A.D. Quig, a government and politics reporter at Crain’s Chicago Business, stated that the continuous closure of casinos is “bad news for state budgets, city budgets, and future plans” considering the economic impact.

Quig stated, “As of today, the casinos have suffered a loss of over $100 million in revenue alone. This does not include the money spent on virus-related expenses. Consequently, the state has lost approximately $50 million in casino tax revenue, and local communities hosting casinos have incurred a loss of $10 million.”

Quig went on to clarify that these losses did not account for video games or sports betting and were solely from casinos.

What is the strategy of Missouri & rsquo?

Missouri’s 13 casinos will be required to implement changes to maintain social distancing. Fewer slot machines and table games for gamblers are expected to be among these modifications.

To curb the spread of the coronavirus, all casino staff will be mandated to wear masks and maintain rigorous hygiene practices. A decision is yet to be made on whether customers will also be required to wear face coverings.

The Missouri Gaming Commission has reported a loss of approximately $55 million in casino tax revenue. This loss is a result of the closure of the state’s casinos, including riverboat casinos, since March 17th as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is Illinois on the verge of opening gambling? & nbsp,

At present, there is no specific date for the reopening of gambling establishments in Illinois.

Recently, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled a five-phase plan titled “Restore Illinois”. Under this plan, gatherings of 50 or fewer people would be permitted during the fourth phase.

Quig states that Phase Four, alternatively termed as regeneration, allows gatherings of 50 people or less. However, this limit may be adjusted based on new information and advice.

It will be fascinating to observe how casinos adapt to this situation, and they have been deliberatively strategizing on how to make it safer. This includes setting up plastic barriers between gaming stations and implementing other measures like enforced hand-washing.

“However, many of these casinos can accommodate more than 50 people, so I don’t expect them to fully reopen until we get to Phase Five, which might not happen until a vaccine is developed.”

In the meantime, the opening of casinos in Missouri may negatively impact Illinois. For instance, Casino Queen, based in East St. Louis, may lose business to its competitors in Missouri. This particularly applies to the Lumi & egrave, re Place in St. Louis, and the River City Casino in Lemay, which are both approximately five and twenty minutes away by car, respectively.

“During her NPR interview, Quig stated, “People in the casino industry are clearly keen on making profits. Therefore, they are keen on devising a method to ensure the safety of customers as well as their 5,000 employees.”

As of May 19, Illinois reported a total of 4,234 murders and 96,485 cases of COVID-19. Laboratories have reported conducting 603,241 tests.