All Four Winds Casino locations in Indiana and Michigan are set to reopen this coming Monday with some new rules in place due to the coronavirus.
Casino guests can expect a different experience from the moment they walk through the doors.
All visitors are required to wear masks and will have their temperature checked with touchless thermal technology using a camera system.
Smoking will also not be allowed inside the casino, but there will be designated outdoor smoking areas.
Slot players will either be separated by plexiglass or by an unused machine. A cleaning crew plans to sanitize the machines in between players. Card tables will open too with fewer chairs to make room for social distancing.
Matthew Wesaw is the Tribal Council Chairman and CEO of the Pokagon Gaming Authority. He says closing the casinos in the first place was a difficult decision because the Pokagon Band gets most of its income from the casinos, but he says safety is still their top priority.
“We did not want to push the envelope and reopen too early," he says. "While revenue is very important, it was not strictly about revenue for us, it’s about keeping our people safe.”
Wesaw says the Pokagon Band is the last tribe to reopen casinos in Michigan.
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