Gambling returns to Vegas after virus closure

LAS VEGAS — The casino coronavirus closure has ended. Cards are being dealt, dice are rolling and slot machines jingled for the first customers who started gambling again Thursday in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.

“The past few months have presented our city with an unprecedented challenge,” said Derek Stevens, owner of two downtown Las Vegas casinos that were shuttered along with all gambling establishments in March. “We are excited to get our employees back to work and to welcome guests to the entertainment capital of the world.”

Hotel-casinos in downtown and suburban Las Vegas were the first to open at 12:01 a.m., followed later by a restart of the iconic Bellagio fountain and several resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

The D Hotel and Casino, one of Stevens’ two downtown properties, had several dozen people waiting in line for the doors to open shortly after midnight. After guests had their temperatures checked at the door, the casino was quickly crowded with revelers and gamblers, while dealers wore face masks or shields. Even a bartender dancing on top of a bar in lingerie was clad in a face mask.

Mike Gebhardt a utility worker from Cincinnati, flew to Las Vegas on Thursday with his sister and her fiance for a birthday trip on a surprisingly full flight.

“It’s going to be a little different but that’s the way thing are now,” said Gebhardt, who described himself as a blackjack player.

Wynn Resorts pushed back its planned opening to daylight hours in a nod to ongoing nighttime protests over George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.

There are big hopes for recovery from an unprecedented and expensive shutdown.

“There’s a tremendous amount on the line, not only for casinos, but for the community and the state,” said Alan Feldman, a longtime casino executive who is now a fellow at the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “This is an extremely important moment.”

Casino resorts were shuttered March 17 after Gov. Steve Sisolak’s emergency order closed nonessential businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19.