More Games, More People, Fewer Masks As Illinois, Casinos Ready To Enter Phase 5

Written By Joe Boozell on June 3, 2021
illinois casinos phase 5

According to & nbsp, Gov. Illinois is scheduled to begin Phase 5 opening on June 11. earlier this month, JB Pritzker. All remaining potential restrictions won’t apply during the following and last reopening phase.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to either complete closure or limited operation of the 10 casinos in Illinois since March 2020, brings excellent news for them.

At present, Illinois casinos are operating at 60% capacity. The state entered the “Bridge Phase” on May 14, increasing the capacity limits from 50% to 60%.

All Illinois games will not be fully operational on June 11, but they are likely to open soon after.

The following are the top ten games in Illinois:

  • Alton’s Argosy Casino
  • DraftKings is housed in East St. Louis’ Casino Queen.
  • Elgin’s Grand Victoria Casino
  • Harrah’s Casino, Joliet
  • Metropolis Harrah’s Casino
  • Aurora Casino in Hollywood
  • Hollywood Casino, Juliet
  • Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in Rock Island
  • Par A – Die Casino in East Peoria
  • Des Plaines’ Rivers Casino

Is a face required to be worn at the casino?

Based on CDC guidelines, if you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, face masks are no longer required in most Illinois casinos. However, we expect that these measures will still be enforced as capacity limits potentially increase.

Food and beverage service, which was disallowed for a significant part of the crisis, is now permitted at the features.

Are poker rooms in Illinois empty?

As of mid-May, Illinois poker rooms have been permitted to reopen. However, so far, only one has chosen to do so.

Hollywood Casino Aurora, which reopened its poker room on May 21, is the location in question. It’s known that Grand Victoria Casino Elgin is planning to reopen its poker room soon, however, a specific date hasn’t been confirmed.

Meanwhile, Jumer’s Casino & Hotel has not updated the status of its poker room.

No more limitations on card sports?

At present, the Illinois Gaming Board website states that gathering around table games such as craps, roulette, blackjack, and carnival games is not allowed at casinos.

Once we enter Phase 5, the situation might change. However, each game can formulate its own rules and eliminate this limitation.

If you visited a casino during the pandemic and noticed that all other slot machines were shut down, it shouldn’t be the case.

Again, the games will have the choice to determine if they wish to maintain the law. Nonetheless, it is expected that they will offer the most trustworthy gaming experience.

What is the COVID – 19 situation in Illinois & rsquo?

Thanks to improved COVID-19 and immunisation metrics, casinos can now fully reopen.

On Tuesday, Illinois, also known as The Land of Lincoln, announced a total of 401 new cases and eight deaths, even as the optimism remains at its lowest. The hospitalization rate in Illinois is also at its record low.

In the meantime, over 12 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state. Approximately 40% of the population of Illinois is fully immunized.

Will there ever be an online casino in Illinois?

Online casinos in Illinois have gained some legislative momentum. However, the recent May session did not see the passage of expanded internet gaming.

That being said, there is reason to believe that Illinois might have online casinos in the future. The Senate passed a resolution requesting a report on the potential revenue online casinos could have produced if they had been operational before COVID-19.

This suggests that the government is keen on acquiring more knowledge. Moreover, significant figures have been incorporated already in the introduction of online game legislation by the House and Senate.

The reopening of brick-and-mortar game stores is indeed great news, however, having an online presence could provide them with a more reliable income stream. The gaming industry was severely impacted by COVID-19, with those lacking an online presence bearing the brunt of the fallout.

Therefore, there won’t be any online gambling in the Land of Lincoln in the near future. However, looking a couple of years ahead, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a thriving online casino industry in Illinois.

Pictures taken from an AP report
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Boozell, Joe

Joe Boozell has been a collegiate sports writer for NCAA.com since 2015 and has also had his work published on platforms such as Bleacher Report, FoxSports.com, and NBA.com. He played against basketball players Anthony Davis and Frank Kaminsky while growing up in the Chicagoland area, which one can imagine was a challenging experience.

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