All Indiana gaming and racing operations to close Monday for 14 days amid virus fears
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — All licensed gaming and racing operations in the state of Indiana will close for at least 14 days in the interest of public health, the Indiana Gaming Commission said Saturday.
The closures will begin at 6 a.m. Monday, the commission said.
The announcement comes after a Thursday guidance from Gov. Eric Holcomb asking that non-essential gatherings stay limited to no more than 250 people. It also follows a number of cancellations of regional, statewide and national sporting events amid concerns of the spread of coronavirus.
The Indiana Gaming and Horse Racing Commissions will continue to monitor the situation, the Gaming Commission said.
The closure doesn’t have casino staff and visitors feeling like they hit the jackpot.
This is all very new to employees- and especially casino guests. Both were finding out around the same time Saturday afternoon that all casinos would be closed for the next 14 days. There’s still a lot of questions as things move forward.
Buttons are prodded, screens are tapped, and fingerprints cover the insides of casinos. One casino employee’s spouse, who wanted to remain anonymous, told News 8 she and others wondered why casinos weren’t one of the first places to close down.
“Older people who are at risk- it’s the vast majority of the people who come into the casino is elderly people,” She said.
Places like Hoosier Park were still packed Saturday afternoon. Many guests leaving hadn’t heard the news about the closing. When News 8 told them, they weren’t super thrilled.
“Now, here we are, we’re closing our whole world and losing money like crazy,” A woman named Sandy said. “It’s pitiful!”
“I understand it to a point,” Haven Unger said. “A week or two might not hurt anything, but people just need to- they just need to take a chill pill and calm down.”
Multiple employees also expressed some disappointment to News 8, saying they hadn’t been told if they’ll be paid throughout the closure. News 8 brought that up with Hoosier Park management…But they couldn’t give us a definite answer because they are still working on specifics and preferred to remain off camera.
“I hope that the employees do get paid for this time because they didn’t ask for this to happen,” The woman who wanted to remain anonymous said. “They didn’t ask for this virus. And I really hope that the governor listens and calls for pay for casino workers and people in the hospitality industry.”
What Hoosier Park management did tell News 8 is that they’re sticking to the statement by the Gaming Commission, putting an emphasis on the safety and well being of their guests.
That statement reads:
Based on changing circumstances and in the interest of public health, Indiana licensed gaming and racing operations will close for at least 14 days beginning at 6:00 A.M. On Monday, March 16, 2020. The Indiana Gaming and Horse Racing Commissions will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as appropriate.
The Indiana Gaming Commission says they’re still figuring the whole situation out….But they’ll be releasing more information over the next couple of days on their plan. Casinos say their plan for employees will be released soon.
As of Saturday, Indiana had 15 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Dozens of churches in central Indiana had canceled their Sunday services as health officials encouraged “social distancing.”