Will the Casinos Reopen May 1st?

The 6 casinos plus Louisiana Downs have been closed since March 16th we are still at least a couple of weeks away from a possible reopening.

State Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones tells KEEL News he is chairing a panel looking at what needs to be done to get the casinos back open. The Governor is expecting a report before April 30th in order to make a decision about whether or not the casinos can reopen.

But Jones says if they do reopen there will likely be many changes. He says guests might have to be temperature checked and social distancing will be the top priority. He also says it may be difficult to get all of the staff back as they may have serious concerns about becoming infected. He would expect casino workers to be wearing protective gear and he would also expect players to wear masks.

Another big change will be the number of slot machines and table games.Jones says it is very likely several slot machines will be turned off and table games will be limited to two or three people per table.

We did ask him if he thinks some of the casinos in Louisiana will never be back open. He said "my gut tells me that may be the case."