Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hard Rock and other casinos close doors
Seminole Tribe says health risk too great; decision has been in the works all week
Everyone on the floor of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood on Thursday night was a gambler.
It didn’t matter if they were playing slots, blackjack or roulette. Or if they had player cards. Or even if they were customers or employees.
People there may have put their health at risk for the quickly disappearing thrill of a night out at one of the few public gathering places left open in Broward County.
The tribe-owned casino, and six of its sister businesses across the state, was shut down at 6 p.m. Friday, joining the rest of the state in its effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. There was no telling when it would open again.
The decision was announced Friday afternoon, said Seminole Tribe spokesman Gary Bitner.
“Seminole Gaming employs nearly 14,000 team members in the state,” he said. “We had to think about their livelihood, but we also had to think about their health. It just became clear that the health risk was too great.”
The Seminole Tribe is sovereign, and businesses on its properties are not sub
ject to state business regulations, Bitner explained. When Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all bars and nightclubs in the state to shutter and restaurants to restrict capacity, the Seminoles were not obligated to comply.
The governor said at a news conference in Pembroke Pines on Thursday that he had spoken to Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., Seminole Tribe of Florida chairman.
“They conveyed to me that the safety of their workforce is paramount to them, and they will only operate if they can do so safely. I take them at their word on that.”
The safety measures implemented at the casino, and their futility, were evident Thursday night.
Blackjack tables were limited to two players each, separated by two chairs. Each player was less than 6 feet from the dealer. Slot machines were selectively disabled so that no two gamblers could sit next to each other. The crowd was much thinner than usual for a Thursday night.
But nothing could prevent customers from brushing up against one another on their way from one game to another. No barrier blocked roulette players from each other.
Bars on the gambling floor were closed during what would normally have been peak hours Thursday night.
Only a hotel bar, Pla, was still open, and there was plenty of seating available. Most guests sat in clusters of three or four, though it did appear that some people who had just met were getting to know each other and ignoring warnings about physical contact and social distancing.
Bitner said there was no sudden development that led the Seminoles to decide to shut down. As far as he was aware Friday afternoon, none of the casinos’ workers had fallen ill or been diagnosed with coronavirus.
Seminole Gaming plans to pay its employees for the first two weeks of the forced time off, Bitner said. Fulltime employees will be paid in full, full-time employees who rely on tips will be paid $12 an hour, and compensation for part-time employees will be decided case by case, he said.
The shutdown affects three popular gambling spots across in Broward:
■ The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.
■ The Seminole Classic in Hollywood, just south of the Hard Rock.
■ The Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek.
Also shutting down are the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa, the Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee and the Seminole Casino Brighton, near the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee.
The Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach, Isle Casino Pompano Park and Hialeah Park Racing & Casino, Gulfstream Park, Calder Casino and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, The Casino at Dania Beach and Hialeah Park Racing & Casino all closed their doors earlier in the week.
Still open is Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in Miami-Dade. Slot machines and restaurants remain open, but the poker room, bingo games, pool, fitness center and teen arcade are all closed.
According to a news release from the Miccosukee tribe issued late Friday, the Indian Village, airboats and golf course are all closed.