Latest Casino and Gambling News, Tribal Gaming, Casino News, Alabama In Alabama, the pastor of a Baptist church in the city of Wetumpka returned a $25,000 donation from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians after a Sunday vote by members of the congregation decided that accepting the. Alabama casino heist suspect denied bond. A bill proposed in the Alabama Senate could bring a casino to Jefferson County and would transform gambling in the state in numerous ways. Senate Bill 282, sponsored by Sen.
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Casinos in Alabama are allowed to reopen, but don't expect it to happen in the next four weeks.
The casinos and resorts of Alabama's only federally recognized Indian Tribe have been preparing to reopen following the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.
But they are preparing for a 'soft reopening' first to test a suite of new policies and procedures, officials with Wind Creek Hospitality, the tribe's company, say.
Casinos in Mississippi were allowed to reopen today in time for the Memorial Day weekend, while casinos in Louisiana can start reopening in most places Monday. However, they remain closed in New Orleans. Gov. Kay Ivey today announced changes to Alabama's existing coronavirus measures, allowing entertainment venues, such as arcades, theaters and bowling alleys to reopen effective Friday afternoon.
Wind Creek Hospitality CEO Jay Dorris said Thursday that the company has not yet set a date for when it plans to reopen its four hotel properties and casinos in Alabama at Wetumpka, Atmore, Montgomery and the Mobile Greyhound Track.
However, Dorris said it would be realistic to expect an announcement within the next month or two.
'When customers come in, we want them to have a sense of escape, to have fun, but we also want them to feel safe, as well as our employees,' he said. 'We think our plan gives us the means to do that.'
Wind Creek, which also operates resorts in Aruba, Curacao, Nevada and Florida, closed its facilities in March to halt the spread of COVID-19. In late April, CEO Jay Dorris said the company has spent the lockdown looking for ways to limit the number of guests, increase sanitizing efforts, and get personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees.
Since then, Dorris said, the company has been working with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the Alabama Department of Public Health, and guidance from Montgomery area pulmonologist Dr. David Thrasher, as well as an epidemiology team with the United South and Eastern Tribes, a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization representing 30 federally-recognized Tribal Nations.
According to a seven-page plan the company has put together, several changes will be implemented once the casinos and resorts open:
Admittance will be kept well below normal capacity for social distancing.
Floor markers, posters and other materials will be used to remind guests and employees of distancing.
Public areas will be closed four times a day for one 1/4 u2010hour intensive cleaning sessions. That means there will be four five-hour daily sessions. At the end of each session, all guests have to leave the property, except for hotel guests who can return to their rooms or public outdoor spaces.
Dorris said he feels these cleaning periods are 'a step above' efforts by other casinos and will be in addition to normal cleaning throughout the day.
Shoulder-to-shoulder play will not be allowed.
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Masks or cloth face coverings will be mandatory at all properties for both guests and employees. Those without one will be provided one. People refusing to wear one will be asked to leave.
Smoking on the floor, in bathrooms or public spaces will be prohibited. There will be designated smoking areas.
Hotels will be operated at 50 percent occupancy, and hotel rooms will be left unoccupied for at least 24 hours until they are thoroughly cleaned.
Restaurants will be reconfigured to provide six feet between diners. All self-service dining options will be replaced by wait-staff service only.
In addition, there will be hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the properties and ventilation will be increased. Employees will be sent home if they show fever, cough or shortness of breath.
Who gets into the properties might also be different. According to the plan, Wind Creek 'may deny entrance to our properties to guests who arrive from a county that may represent minimal, moderate or substantial levels of COVID-19 community transmission.'
And groups of more than four will be asked to separate into socially distanced groups of four or less, the plan stated.
Dorris said Wind Creek also plans to first have a soft opening with private invited events to bring people in to see how the new operation will work. That should take three to four weeks before opening, to allow time for feedback and tweaks. Once reopening happens, guests will be allowed back using a reservation system, allowing guests to reserve a day and time in advance in order to limit the number of people on the property.
Formulating a reopening plan has not been easy, Dorris said.
'Our understanding of COVID-19 and what we're dealing with has been changing every day,' he said. 'As we've gotten further into it, we've seen an emerging consensus about certain things and how it moves across different regions, and we've tried to be mindful of that. We want to be as safe as we can be for our customers and employees.'
Wind Creek kept full-time employees employed with benefits during the closure. Dorris said the shutdown has had 'a significant impact' on the company.
'But we've been very fortunate in that we've been able to have a lot of success,' he said. 'That success means we've been able to weather this better than others. It's been costly, but we were and are prepared to weather it, and we fully expect to be stronger than ever in the long run.'
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Progressing lawsuits
The Alabama Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the courts in two rural counties were incorrect for dismissing lawsuits filed by the state aimed at having three casinos declared public nuisances.
As a result of the Supreme Court decision, the state can proceed with its cases against VictoryLand in Macon County and the cases against Southern Star Entertainment and White Hall Entertainment in Lowndes County.
have flagrantly violated Alabama's laws.'
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Attorney General Steve Marshall and his office are looking for injunctions to permanently shut down the three casinos. In a statement, Marshall said 'For too long, these individuals, businesses, and even elected officials have flagrantly violated Alabama's laws.'
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A VictoryLand attorney commented on the Supreme Court decision, noting that while the state will have a chance to prove its case, the casino will not be making any immediate changes to its operations.
Defendants' arguments
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The defendants were calling for the suits to be dismissed, saying that the state courts did not possess the power needed to hear them. The defendants also claimed that the state's shutdown attempts were wrong because the Poarch Band of Creek Indians-operated Wind Creek casinos were not included among the lawsuits.
County judges ruled in favor of the casinos last year, dismissing the lawsuits in Macon County and Lowndes County.
However, the Supreme Court rejected the idea that the tribe should be included and deemed the local circuit courts as having sufficient power to hear the cases.
Basis for shutdown attempts
The state has been persistent in trying to shut down gambling halls that have electronic bingo games. The lawsuits against the three casinos were originally filed in 2017, calling on the courts to declare these casinos public nuisances as a result of their promotion of illegal gambling.
slot machines do not adhere to the same legal definition as bingo
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Certain counties have approved constitutional amendments for bingo, leading to the electronic bingo casinos. The state, however, considers these bingo machines to operate and look like slot machines; slot machines do not adhere to the same legal definition as bingo.
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Alabama is traditionally a very conservative state when it comes to gambling. It is one of only a handful of states that does not currently have a state lottery.
