Casino Niagara Reopen
- Casino Niagara Reopening Date
- Seneca Niagara Casino Reopening Date
- Casino Niagara Reopening
- Niagara Falls Casino Reopen
VERONA - Lines of people snaked from all the main entrances to the Turning Stone Resort Casino in central New York early Wednesday morning as crowds gathered more than an hour before the casino opened for the first time in three months.
The Oneida Indian Nation closed Turning Stone and its other casinos in mid-March after the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut jointly announced that the states will shut down casinos, gyms and movie theaters amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The nation’s other two casinos, Point Place Casino in Bridgeport and Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango, also opened Wednesday, making them the first casinos in New York to reopen their doors.
Casino Niagara Reopening Date
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls will reopen Thursday. The casino will have limited hours from 10 a.m. All guests will be screened and will need. Seneca Niagara opens on June 18 as will the three VLT operations in Cuba, Irving and Salamanca. Seneca Buffalo Creek will open on June 25 and Seneca Allegany will follow on July 2.
Meanwhile, other casinos in New York have plans to reopen over the course of the next few weeks.
Seneca Niagara Casino Reopening Date
The Seneca Indian Nation said Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls will reopen June 18, followed by Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino on June 25 and Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino on July 2.
The rest of the state's 20 casinos have not yet been given state approval to reopen and are likely to be part of the last of the four phases of reopening in at least two weeks. The tribes have their own gaming compacts with the state and could open on their own schedules.
More: When will New York's casinos reopen? What Cuomo and the betting halls are saying
Phased approach at Turning Stone
© ALEX COOPER / OBSERVER-DISPATCH Guests enter the doors of Turning Stone Resort Casino on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in Verona. The Oneida Indian Nation has opened its three casino locations on Wednesday, but is following its own phased approach to reopening, calling this Phase 1. During this phase, the casinos will operate under a new Safer Together plan. The new guidelines include mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors in most areas, social distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols, no scheduled concerts until further notice and no visitors from outside a 120-mile radius.
Similar to how Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reopening certain regions throughout the state amid the pandemic, the Oneida Nation’s casinos are opening in phases.
Wednesday’s openings were part of the first phase.
For Turning Stone, phase one reopened the casino’s gaming floor and some of the restaurants, according to nation officials. The casino’s Exit 33 venues and the buffet are not part of Phase One and will reopen later on.
Nation officials said advancement to the next phases would be done in a safe and responsible manner. No timetable has yet been set.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said the county was involved in developing Turning Stone’s reopening plan, calling the approach “detailed and comprehensive.”
“It will be a positive for the business community,” Picente said. “Hopefully everyone will go well.”
The Nation has outlined a number of safety protocols as part of an overall reopening plan called Safer Together.
The precautions include:
- Limited access to facilities for guests who travel from within 120 miles; identification verification will be used to aid contact tracing if it becomes necessary.
- Requirement of face coverings, wherever feasible, for employees, guests, vendors and the public.
- Gloves required for all employees working in direct contact with guests.
- Daily thermal temperature checks for every employee and health survey to identify potential COVID-19 exposure.
- At least 6 feet of separation between tables at all restaurants and bars.
More: Hudson Valley enters Phase 2: Here's what is reopening
Back to work at central New York casinos
Casino Niagara Reopening
© ALEX COOPER / OBSERVER-DISPATCH Guests enter the doors of Turning Stone Resort Casino on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in Verona. The Oneida Indian Nation has opened its three casino locations on Wednesday, but is following its own phased approach to reopening, calling this Phase 1. During this phase, the casinos will operate under a new Safer Together plan. The new guidelines include mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors in most areas, social distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols, no scheduled concerts until further notice and no visitors from outside a 120-mile radius.With more than 4,759 employees, the nation is the largest employer in Oneida County.
Nonessential employees were furloughed and provided with some help, including coverage of their health care premiums.
Nation officials said employees with the Oneida Indian Nation Police Department, Oneida Health Services, Maple Leaf Market and SavOn were among those considered essential.
On Wednesday, the vast majority of the furloughed workers – numbering roughly 4,500 – returned to work, said Ray Halbritter, the CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises.
“All those folks are really delighted to come back to work and try to get back to normal,” Halbritter said.
The new normal will require wearing a mask, said Halbritter, who described the face covering as the biggest change when it comes to visiting the nation’s casinos.
Niagara Falls Casino Reopen
“It was so hard the last three months,” Halbritter said. “We’ve not closed since we opened. It’s so good to be open again.”
More: Coronavirus in New York: Interactive map of cases and deaths by county
Seneca Nation plans to reopen in western New York
© ALEX COOPER / OBSERVER-DISPATCH Guests ride the escalators as Turning Stone Resort Casino opened on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in Verona. The Oneida Indian Nation has opened its three casino locations on Wednesday, but is following its own phased approach to reopening, calling this Phase 1. During this phase, the casinos will operate under a new Safer Together plan. The new guidelines include mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors in most areas, social distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols, no scheduled concerts until further notice and no visitors from outside a 120-mile radius.Like the Oneida Nation, the Seneca Nation closed its casinos in mid-March.
The reopening of the Seneca Nation casinos will also return thousands to work, officials said.
“After being closed for nearly three months, we are now ready to move forward with the safe, responsible and systematic reopening of our gaming facilities,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. in a statement.
“This is a signature moment in our region’s economic recovery from the circumstances that arose as a result of this unprecedented public health crisis.”
Mirroring the Oneida Nation, all of the Seneca Nation facilities will open at reduced capacity, with strict protocols in place to protect the health and safety of guests and workers, officials said.
More: Phase 3 opening in New York: Have your nails done, go to a restaurant or get a tattoo
Ready to play and gamble
© ALEX COOPER / OBSERVER-DISPATCH Guests wait outside to enter Turning Stone Resort Casino on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 in Verona. The Oneida Indian Nation has opened its three casino locations on Wednesday, but is following its own phased approach to reopening, calling this Phase 1. During this phase, the casinos will operate under a new Safer Together plan. The new guidelines include mandatory face coverings for staff and visitors in most areas, social distancing, enhanced cleaning protocols, no scheduled concerts until further notice and no visitors from outside a 120-mile radius.The hundreds of visitors at Wednesday’s opening at Turning Stone practiced social distancing as best they could, with the vast majority seen wearing cloth masks.
The throngs were welcomed by Halbritter and casino staff with cheers and applause as they entered the facility.
Vinnie Dove of Elmira said he was happy to see the casino open.
Dove said he comes to Turning Stone several times a month and had been checking the casino’s website daily to see when it would reopen.
“I’m here to play bingo,” he said.
Nanette Manning of Syracuse ventures to Turning Stone often, saying she was looking forward to playing poker.
Manning said she was not worried about the virus, saying she felt safe to return.
“I’ve been in the house for three months,” she said.
More: New York City starts its reopening Monday amid unrest and economic uncertainty
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: These were the first casinos to reopen in New York