Casino Open Illinois

Add Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, to the list. Located at 3000 South River Road, adjacent to the Tri-State Tollway at the northwest corner of Devon Avenue and River Road, the 140,000-square-foot casino opened in 2011 in Chicago's northwest suburb, minutes from O'Hare Airport and nestled among several luxury hotels, including the Hyatt. CHICAGO — For the first time in four months, the Illinois Gaming Board met — virtually — Thursday to strategize on how to reopen the state’s casinos safely, and soon. Board members voted on. Illinois: DraftKings at Casino Queen and Argosy Casino Alton re-opened. January 22 Illinois: Hollywood Casino Joliet and Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel re-opened. January 19 Pennsylvania: Live Casino & Hotel Philadelphia opens with reservation-only preview days ahead of a grand opening on February 11 Illinois: Grand Victoria Casino, Hollywood.

1. Any Casino Open In Illinois
2. Metropolis Illinois Casino Open

While casinos in Las Vegas reopened a week ago and Indiana prepares to welcome back gamblers Monday, it's no dice, yet, for the 10 gambling houses in Illinois.

Illinois Gaming Board officials said Thursday the timing and conditions for the resumption of casino gambling is still unknown, but they will be based on public health guidance and the framework of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan.

The state ordered all casinos closed March 16 amid the outbreak of COVID-19.

'Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Gaming Board are mindful of the hardship and dire economic disruption this pandemic is causing for our industry, our licensees, their employees, and communities and families across Illinois,' board Administrator Marcus Fruchter said during a board meeting Thursday. 'We are committed to the safe, fair, deliberate, consistent and regulatory compliant resumption of casino and video gaming when health conditions permit.'

Also Thursday, the board took steps to shore up a promised new state revenue source -- sports betting -- once casinos reopen. At as much as $10 million a pop, four-year master sports wagering licenses were doled out to seven casinos, including Rivers in Des Plaines, Grand Victoria in Elgin, Hollywood in Aurora and Joliet, Par-A-Dice in East Peoria, Argosy in Alton and Casino Queen in East St. Louis.

The state's three horse racing tracks -- Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and Fairmount Park in Collinsville -- also have applied for sports betting licenses, but they haven't yet been approved. Other major sporting venues are also eligible, while online-only sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings have to wait 18 months, under terms of the state gambling expansion approved a year ago.

With a temporary license in hand, Rivers was less than a week into taking bets at its new sportsbook in early March when the temporary closure began.

Thursday marked the first meeting -- held by videoconference -- of the appointed state regulatory panel since January, with other meetings canceled due to the coronavirus.

Earlier in the week, the state agency released a set of protocols casinos must follow to obtain approval to resume operations. It includes 6-foot social distancing requirements; the availability and use of face masks and personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes; and cleaning of touch surfaces, table game areas, dice, chips and cards.

Temperature checks will be required upon entry to casinos, which would be limited to 50% occupancy to start. For now, what won't be permitted is buffets, poker rooms, table game tournaments or any other promotions that require patrons to cluster.

Each casino must submit its own resumption plan to the gaming board for approval, officials said.

While protocols vary from state to state, Illinois' most lucrative casino, Rivers in Des Plaines, may follow some of the procedures of its sister casino in Pittsburgh, which reopened Tuesday.

Gamblers arrived to find plexiglass dividers between sports betting kiosks, social distancing decals near craps tables, only three seats per blackjack table, every other slot machine available, and 140 hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes stations.

In addition, a 'Rivers Clean Team' regularly wipes down slot machines, and the casino, normally open 24/7, closes early weekday mornings for a deep-clean.

While Illinois has yet to set a date for reopening its casinos, Chicagoans can roll the dice in Indiana beginning Monday, as the Horseshoe Hammond welcomes gamblers with masks, sanitizing stations and plenty of freshly washed chips.

The casino, is located about 20 miles from downtown Chicago, is set to open at 6 a.m. — the earliest allowed by the state of Indiana as part of its COVID-19 reopening plan. To maintain social distancing and meet uncertain demand, about 40% to 50% of the casino’s gaming positions will be open Monday.

“We are going to ease into the full business that we had,” said Dan Nita, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, the parent of Horseshoe Hammond. “It’s going to be a moving target as we learn about customer demand.”

Horseshoe Hammond has been closed since March 16 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Indiana has joined a growing list of states allowing casinos to reopen — with restrictions.

At Horseshoe, some slot machines will be turned off to allow for social distancing. No more than three players at a time can sit at a blackjack table, with masks required for both dealers and guests. All table games will be non-smoking, with limited seating.

Hand-sanitizing wipes will be available at slot machines and table games, with stepped-up cleaning procedures across the casino, Nita said.

“We’ll be disinfecting the chips on a regular basis and changing out our cards more regularly,” he said.

Masks will be provided to guests at the door, but will not be required except at table games. Employees will wear branded Horseshoe masks at all times, Nita said.

Guests will not be able to use masks to hide their poker face, however. The poker room, sports book, buffet and valet parking will remain closed — at least initially.

Video: 'Bar Rescue' host Jon Taffer on new safety measures implemented at Las Vegas casinos and hotels (FOX News)

Horseshoe Hammond has recalled an undisclosed number of the 2,000 employees it furloughed when the casino closed in March. Nita said the casino is trying to be measured as it brings them back, “to make sure the business is there” before interrupting the unemployment process.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Gaming Board released protocols this week for casino gambling and video gaming, but no date of when either will resume.

“The timing and conditions for resumption of gaming is unknown at this time, and will be based upon public health guidance and metrics, and will proceed within the framework of Gov. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan,” administrator Marcus Fruchter said at a gaming board meeting Thursday.

There has been some progress for sports betting in Illinois.

Seven of the state’s 10 casinos on Thursday were granted sports betting licenses through 2024. Jumer’s Casino in Rock Island and Harrah’s Joliet and Metropolis casinos did not apply.

Any Casino Open In Illinois

Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and Argosy Casino Alton both briefly opened their bricks-and-mortar sportsbooks in March on provisional licenses before the operations were shut down by the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker suspended the in-person registration requirement for sports wagering, which will allow bettors to create accounts and wager online. That could open the door to mobile sports betting before the casinos reopen, pending approval from the gaming board.

Rivers spokesman Patrick Skarr declined to comment Friday on the timing of mobile sports betting.

Metropolis Illinois Casino Open

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