MONTICELLO—The more than 40-year gamble by Sullivan County to bring casino gaming to the former storied Borscht Belt came to a successful conclusion with the opening of the $1.2-billion Resorts World Catskills casino resort here today. The casino opening, which was a few weeks ahead of schedule, saw thousands of guests flock to the expansive. Resorts World Catskills has announced that it will begin welcoming back guests at 10am on Wednesday 9 September, after Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the nod to casino re-openings. The gaming floor will be operating at 25% occupancy from 8am to 10pm daily until further notice. Currently, our slot machines, Sportsbook 360, and live table games (with the exception of the poker room) are open. Casino Pittsburgh Holds Grand Opening With COVID-19 Safety Measures In Place The doors will open to the casino Tuesday morning. By Chris Hoffman November 24, 2020 at 12:16 pm. Resort World Casino opening Wednesday with safety measures in place. 'Resorts World Catskills employs more than one thousand people in Sullivan County and is a tremendous driver of economic.
Similar to other hospitality business openings in our community and around the world, moving New York forward means putting stringent new health, safety, scheduling and hygiene procedures in place ahead of our carefully managed reopening. Maintaining the health and safety of our guests and team members remains our primary goal.
With that in mind, your next visit to Resorts World Catskills may look a little different as we roll out our new Resorts World Safety Plan in accordance with recommendations from the CDC and health officials. Our 21-point plan is in place to ensure you feel at ease every time you visit Resorts World Catskills, and puts health and safety at the center of our operation.
ARRIVE HEALTHY
For our initial reopening, entry will be limited to the main front entrance and the parking garage. We recommend that guests in wheelchairs use the main front entrance. For your safety, please abide by our entry directions so that everyone passes through controlled access points.
OUR THERMAL SCREENING PROTOCOLS
Upon arrival, our security team will be conducting non-invasive temperature checks using thermal scanners. Any guest or team member with a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be permitted entry.
WEAR YOUR MASK
In accordance with state and local guidelines, all Guests and Team Members will be required to wear face masks while on property. If you are unable to bring your own mask, Resorts World Catskills will have masks available for purchase at both of our entrances.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING
Just as we are all doing on a daily basis, guests will need to practice physical distancing by staying six feet apart from guests outside of their circle, while standing in lines, using elevators, or moving around the resort. You will find markers and indicators in areas where lines form, plexiglass barriers where appropriate, and ample signage to remind everyone of the new guidelines.
SANITATION STATIONS & HAND WASHING
Over 200 sanitation stations equipped with hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes are located on the casino floor and throughout the property to encourage frequent hand washing and to allow guests to clean common areas before touching.
RESORTS WORLD CLEAN TEAM
Our team members have received COVID-19 safety training and our comprehensive cleaning procedures have been enhanced. The RW Clean Team will be regularly deployed to high-touch guest and team member areas for cleaning and disinfecting.
CASINO UPDATES
The gaming floor will be operating at 25% occupancy from 8am to 10pm daily until further notice. Currently, our slot machines, Sportsbook 360, and live table games (with the exception of the poker room) are open.
The following table games are currently available for play:
o Blackjack
o Craps
o Roulette
o Baccarat
o 3 Card Poker
o Let It Ride
o Caribbean Stud
o Ultimate Texas Hold'em
o Casino War
o Pai Gow Tiles
o Pai Gow Poker
o Crazy 4 Poker
o Mississippi Stud
DINING UPDATES
We have opened select food and beverage options. Following NYS Guidelines, no food or beverage will be permitted on the gaming floor.
RW Food Hall is open daily from 8AM-10PM.
Good Friends Market is open daily from 11AM-5PM.
24/7 Bistro is open daily from 7AM- 10PM.
Cellaio Steak is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Check herefor hours and menu.
Empire Lounge is open Friday through Sunday. Check here for hours and menu.
HOTEL UPDATES
The main hotel tower is now taking reservations for all guests. You can book your stay here.
Our indoor pools, fitness center, valet and the Crystal Life Spa will open at a later date.
ENTERTAINMENT UPDATES
Some scheduled gatherings at Resorts World Catskills are being postponed. For a complete list of up to date cancellations and postponements, please click here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Check out our FAQs for more on our reopening here.
ALBANY – Privately owned casinos in New York will be able to reopen their doors Sept. 9 after a lengthy COVID-19 shutdown that kept them closed since March 16.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state's casino reopening plan Thursday, four days after promising a decision would be coming this week.
The casinos will be required to cap their maximum capacity at 25%, while those who enter the facilities will be required to wear masks and some slot machines will be closed to ensure for social distancing, according to Cuomo.
The state has not yet approved table games, though casinos will be able to seek approval once installing physical barriers between guests.
The reopening decision will apply to all racetrack casinos as well as the state's four full-fledged, privately run casinos: Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County, del Lago in Seneca County, Rivers Casino in Schenectady and Tioga Downs in Tioga County.
© ERIK GLIEDMAN/TIMES HERALD-RECORD FILE PHOTO A political action committee was created a year ago by the operators of the Resorts World casinos in Sullivan County, above, and Queens, and was funded with $4.8 million.It also could provide a break for local governments in the casinos' regions, which rely on tax revenue from the facilities that has been wiped out while they've remained closed.
Sullivan County Casino Opening
The casinos will be required to ensure their air filtration systems meet certain requirements set by the state, similar to the requirements set for indoor shopping malls.
'Casinos can open Sept. 9 on the condition that they have the enhanced air filtration system in place before they open,' Cuomo said on a conference call with reporters.
Now, casinos will be working over the next week to ensure they can reopen as early as possible.
Genting, which operates Resorts World Catskills and the massive Resorts World racetrack casino in Queens, plans to open its doors on Wednesday.
'We have implemented a plan to seamlessly integrate the unmatched experiences in excitement, entertainment and luxury that guests have come to expect, with the more stringent health protocols that are needed to operate safely,' Bob DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said in a statement.
Meghan Taylor, Genting's vice president of government affairs, said guests will have their temperature checked upon entering the casino.
There will be at least 200 hand sanitizer stations throughout Resorts World Catskills, which does not recirculate air and has an air filtration system that exceeds the state standards, she said.
Some of Resorts World Catskills' amenities, such as valet parking and its bus system, will not be open at first, Taylor said.
The other three private, full-fledged casinos had not yet announced a reopening date as of Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for Tioga Downs said the casino was waiting for the state's official guidance documents to be released before declaring an opening day. As of 2:40 p.m. Thursday, those documents — which will lay out the exact requirements casinos have to comply with — had not yet been made public.
Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady will announce a reopening date soon, according to the casino.
'The Rivers team has been working hand-in-hand with the state to make all the changes necessary to reopen and we will meet, or exceed, all requirements to provide a safe and healthy entertainment environment,' Rivers General Manager Justin Moore said in a statement. Canberra casino dining buffet.
Sullivan County Casino Opening Times
Yonkers' Empire City Casino, one of the state's largest gambling facilities, said it is excited about the reopening of their facilities.
'We are awaiting specific guidelines from the state but are very excited to be able to start to welcome back our employees and guests in a safe and healthy manner,' a company spokeswoman said.
Empire City hopes to open in September, keeping in mind the time it will take to recall its workforce and get them trained. When employees are recalled to work, they will maintain their seniority and their benefits will begin immediately, with no waiting period.
Empire City had furloughed more than 900 employees as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in New York.
Meghan Taylor, Genting's vice president of government affairs, said guests will have their temperature checked upon entering the casino.
There will be at least 200 hand sanitizer stations throughout Resorts World Catskills, which does not recirculate air and has an air filtration system that exceeds the state standards, she said.
Some of Resorts World Catskills' amenities, such as valet parking and its bus system, will not be open at first, Taylor said.
The other three private, full-fledged casinos had not yet announced a reopening date as of Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for Tioga Downs said the casino was waiting for the state's official guidance documents to be released before declaring an opening day. As of 2:40 p.m. Thursday, those documents — which will lay out the exact requirements casinos have to comply with — had not yet been made public.
Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady will announce a reopening date soon, according to the casino.
'The Rivers team has been working hand-in-hand with the state to make all the changes necessary to reopen and we will meet, or exceed, all requirements to provide a safe and healthy entertainment environment,' Rivers General Manager Justin Moore said in a statement. Canberra casino dining buffet.
Sullivan County Casino Opening Times
Yonkers' Empire City Casino, one of the state's largest gambling facilities, said it is excited about the reopening of their facilities.
'We are awaiting specific guidelines from the state but are very excited to be able to start to welcome back our employees and guests in a safe and healthy manner,' a company spokeswoman said.
Empire City hopes to open in September, keeping in mind the time it will take to recall its workforce and get them trained. When employees are recalled to work, they will maintain their seniority and their benefits will begin immediately, with no waiting period.
Empire City had furloughed more than 900 employees as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in New York.
Native American-run casinos, which are not constrained to the state's COVID-19 shutdowns, have already been open in New York for months after temporarily shutting down in March, April and May, when the coronavirus was at its peak in New York.
That includes the Seneca Nation's casinos in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, as well as the Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, Oneida County.
Cuomo had been reluctant to reopen casinos, noting the balance he must strike between essential economic activity and the health of the general public.
But the state's faring far better with the coronavirus than it did in March, April and May, when it experienced hundreds of COVID-19 deaths a day. Now, the rate of COVID-19 tests coming back positive each day has been under 1% for three weeks.
State Budget Director Robert Mujica said casinos have not yet been approved to allow table games, including black jack and poker.
But he said that could change. The state Gaming Commission will have the ability to approve table games if casinos create a system that allows for physical barriers between participants, he said.
Taylor said Resorts World Catskills is hopeful it will get Gaming Commission approval before opening day, noting table games will be limited to three people per table and barriers have been or are being installed.
The casino is also in the process of figuring out how many previously furloughed employees will be recalled.
Resorts World Catskills, which employs 1,400 people under normal circumstances, furloughed about 1,200 people as the COVID-19 shutdown dragged on.
More: SUNY Oneonta: In-person classes canceled for fall semester, students to be sent home
More: New York casinos are still closed. Why workers say they are going bust
Jon Campbell is a New York state government reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith of The Journal News contributed to this story.
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Sullivan County Casino Opening Hours
This article originally appeared on New York State Team: New York casinos can reopen Sept. 9 after lengthy COVID-19 shutdown
