Ohio Casino News
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – Casinos and racinos were some of the most recent facilities to get reopening guidelines in Ohio. Jack Casino opens Friday at 6 a.m., but FOX 8 got a sneak peek. Mar 14, 2020 CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio’s four casinos and seven racinos must shut down or keep the total number of people in the buildings, including employees, under 100, as part of the state’s effort to contain.
Penn National Gaming is planning a “very small number of layoffs” at the Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway racino, in addition to more than 300 layoffs planned at its Columbus and Toledo casinos, the company said Tuesday.
A Penn spokesman could not say how many Dayton layoffs are planned or when they will begin.
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Eric Schippers, Penn’s senior vice president of public affairs and government relations, said in an email that Penn was forced to furlough 26,000 employees in April, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Penn notified Ohio government that its Hollywood casino in Columbus will lay off 188 employees in August while its casino in Toledo will lay off 116 workers, also in August.
The layoffs will be permanent, but the facilities will remain open, Penn said.
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“We were hopeful that we’d be able to call the employees back within a couple of months,” Schippers said in his email to the Dayton Daily News. “However, while we have been able to reopen some of our properties on a limited basis, the continued social distancing requirements and uncertain business volumes means our properties will not be able to resume normal operations for the foreseeable future.”
The Penn properties that stay open will not require the same level of staffing going forward, Schippers said.
He added that Penn will extend employees’ medical and pharmacy benefits coverage through July 31. And he said Penn’s “emergency relief fund” is also available to assist them.
Penn’s Hollywood casinos in Columbus and Toledo are planning to lay off a total of 304 workers, a human resources manager notified Ohio state government in a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice) letter.
Hollywood Casino Columbus will permanently lay off 188 people beginning Aug. 15, the manager said in the June 12 letter.
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A similar letter had the same message regarding Hollywood Casino Toledo, where 116 employees will be laid off permanently starting Aug. 15.
Ohio casinos and racinos are permitted to reopen at 6 a.m. Friday, but the customer experience will be very different.
Permitted capacity will be halved at the Dayton Raceway racino off Wagner Ford Road. Floor decals will mark out “social distances.” Slot machines will be spaced out. Guests will be “encouraged” to wear masks. There will be no live music, and the skybox at the Dayton Raceway will be closed.
Valet parking and coat checks won’t be happening, either, at least for now. Buffets are allowed if employees are serving customers from the buffet.
In May, Belterra Park’s parent company notified Ohio that it may need to lay off more than 300 employees, and the gaming site told Cincinnati TV station WCPO that without a certain reopening date, it’s unsure exactly how many workers it will have to let go, the station reported.
The Columbus and Toledo casinos are leased properties of Penn.
CINCINNATI — When gamblers return to casinos on Friday, they’ll notice several new regulations in place.
All Ohio casinos must have specific hours for people who are more at risk of contracting COVID-19, and casinos can only operate at 50% capacity.
Some casinos are requiring masks, and others are not. At the future home of Hard Rock Casino, everyone has to wear a mask, and guests and employees have to get their temperatures checked upon entering. The casino will only operate at 20% capacity.
Ohio casinos reopen today! What’s new? Do you need a mask? We’re live with the scoop on GMTS. @WCPOpic.twitter.com/8wE7i4x5gB
— Ally Kraemer (@AllyKraemer) June 19, 2020Belterra Park in Anderson Township is recommending masks, but they are not required.
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Thousands of slot machines are turned off in order to achieve social distancing, according to George Goldhoff, president of Hard Rock Cincinnati.
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'We don't just have every other slot machine turned off, but we've ensured that our banking strategy ensures there's 6-foot distance between any two slot players,' Goldhoff said.
Belterra Park also has social distancing requirements in place.
Casinos with table games are limited, which means there are no poker tables. Craps and black jack tables will be limited to three to four players, and plexiglass barriers are in place to keep players separated from each other and the dealer.
Goldhoff said cleaning crews will be working around the clock to keep high-touch areas like screens, buttons, chips and cards sanitized.
'One of the items we're using is called an electrostatic atomizer, which sprays very fine mist and wherever that mist lands, it disinfects that surface. So you can cover a large square footage of the casino in a very short period of time,” he said.
But some regulations at gaming facilities have been lifted. At Belterra Park, guests will be able to watch racing, according to vice president of marketing Blair Bendel.
'Guests will be able to watch racing both inside in our OTB and outside, so we've been approved to allow spectators to watch racing,” Bendel said.
Belterra Park will close for several hours each night for deep cleaning. Hard Rock will remain open as crews clean.