Indiana Casinos Hit With New COVID-19 Rules Just As Restrictions Began To Ease

Just when things seemed to be getting easier, Indiana casinos are now tasked with adhering to a fresh set of pandemic safety rules.

The Indiana Gaming Commission has recently issued a new set of rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

At present, many casinos are not governed by those regulations, but this situation may change shortly.

Indiana updates safety plan for casinos

The new safety requirements enhance the set of rules that casinos were already adhering to.

Currently, Indiana is utilizing a color-coded system to monitor the spread of COVID.

The color grading system for each of the 92 counties in the state is updated every Wednesday to reflect how effectively they’re managing the pandemic in their respective areas.

• Counties in Blue: Minimal spread of COVID, positive outlook appears.
• Moderate Level of Community Spread in Yellow Counties
• Increased Spread of COVID in Orange Counties
• Counties in Red: Communities witnessing extremely high levels of COVID spread

Most counties in the state have been demonstrating positive progress, leading to a relaxation of limitations so far.

Fortunately, this continues to be true.

Recent statistics indicate a notable shift in Indiana, which presently has no counties categorized as orange or red, unlike in December when all counties were classified under these categories.

At present, the majority of Indiana’s casinos are situated in blue counties. However, a handful of casinos can also be found in yellow zones, which include:

• Caesars Southern Indiana
• Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg 
• Rising Star Casino 
• Indiana Grand Casino 

The new requirements will have to be followed by those casinos.

The purpose of the new safety rules design is to maintain the existing conditions.

The Gaming Commission is keen to maintain safety measures, considering the significant progress Indiana has made in fighting the pandemic. They aim to avoid anything that could potentially risk these achievements.

Coronavirus casino capacity

Primarily, it is crucial that all casinos across the state continue to adhere to the fundamental mask-wearing and social distancing rules.

The revised COVID guidelines in Indiana only apply to casinos located outside of blue counties. If your preferred casino is in a yellow, orange, or red zone, prepare for extra requirements.

Should the county where a casino is situated switch to a more severe color tier, the establishment is given 24 hours to adhere to the revised safety regulations.

On the other hand, regional casinos can only relax their restrictions if a county has maintained its improved color status for a minimum of two consecutive weeks.

The occupancy of Blue Zone Casino is determined by the lesser of the number of gaming positions available with a 75% increase for social distancing, or 75% of the total capacity.

The percentage falls to 50% in counties colored yellow and orange, and it drops even more to 35% in red areas.

The number of players at casino table games varies in counties classified as yellow or lower.

• Roulette- four players
• Poker games- five players
• Craps- six players

In table games like blackjack, a maximum of three players can participate at once.

Additional regulations for orange and red zones

Counties grappling with the toughest challenges due to COVID are expected to impose the strictest restrictions on their casinos, which is hardly surprising.

When a county enters the orange zone, numerous additional rules must be adhered to.

For instance, it is currently prohibited for casinos to provide beverage services on the casino floor. They are also required to close self-service drink stations.

The time when gamblers could enjoy a cocktail while playing on a slot machine is over. Now, they will be required to relocate to a designated area for eating, drinking, or smoking when they want to consume beverages.

Casinos located in Orange counties are also not allowed to have bar top machines and valet service.

The only additional regulation for casinos in red counties is a 15% reduction in capacity.

Most of the additional rules are enforced when a county achieves yellow or orange status.

Fortunately, currently, there are only four casinos situated in those zones in Indiana.