COVID Restrictions Ease For Casinos Across Indiana

Casinos in Indiana are finally beginning to break free from the grip of COVID-19.

Now that Indiana’s pandemic numbers are improving, the restrictions on casinos across the state are beginning to loosen.

The most recent statistics indicate that all of the state’s casinos are no longer in the high-risk zone for the virus.

Indiana’s Guidelines for COVID in Casinos

Governor Holcomb’s existing coronavirus strategy assigns a color code to each of Indiana’s 92 counties. The color of a county changes weekly, depending on the latest COVID figures for that area.

Here is a brief explanation of the color code system:

• Counties in Blue: COVID spread is low, situation is under control
• Counties in Yellow: Moderate Community Spread
• High level of COVID community spread in Orange Counties
• Counties in Red: Alert! COVID spread at extremely high levels.

In general, Indiana has significantly improved its management of the virus over the past few months.

In December, all counties in the state were categorized as either orange or red. However, by Feb. 24, Indiana has successfully eradicated all its red zones and reduced the count of orange zones to just three.

Extra safety rules must be followed by casinos in red and orange counties.

For instance, when a county switches to red on the color code, casinos within those counties are required to designate specific areas for eating, drinking and smoking. They are also obligated to reduce their capacity by 15%.

Indiana casino color codes

Now that conditions are improving universally, none of Indiana’s casinos have additional restrictions.

Casinos are still mandated to adhere to standard rules such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. However, they are no longer subjected to additional safety restrictions concerning drinking and smoking.

Every Wednesday, the county color codes for each casino are updated, but currently, the situation appears positive. At the moment, every casino is situated in either a yellow or blue county.

Maintaining things in yellow or blue is beneficial for gamblers in Indiana.

Hoosiers can enjoy their favorite gambling spots without additional obstacles, thanks to fewer restrictions.

Indiana casinos face a turbulent year

Almost a whole year has passed since Indiana’s casinos were first closed down due to the pandemic.

The shutdowns went on for three months and ultimately resulted in casino employees being permanently laid off.

Things are finally getting better now as vaccines are being distributed more regularly.

Nonetheless, the state’s gaming industry still bears the imprint of the pandemic.

Last year, closures caused Indiana’s casinos to lose 24% of their usual business days. This resulted in a 7% decrease in the state’s total casino revenue.

Those dips were far from perfect, but things are turning around.

Compared to the rest of the country, those numbers could have been much more severe. New York saw a 57% decrease in gaming revenue, while Michigan suffered a 56% drop.

The gaming industry in Indiana is poised for a strong rebound in 2021, following record-breaking sports betting and the relaxation of casino restrictions.