Tribal Casino Closures CORONAVIRUS IMPACTS
together safety training for our employees, to outline social distancing, cleaning and sanitation protocols consistent with CDC recommendations.” As Tribal casinos reopened, what was put in place to protect customers and employees at the Coeur d’Alene Casino from the spread of the coronavirus was repeated across all operations. After closing due to the coronavirus, Tribal casinos remained shut down on average for 94 days, before beginning to reopen again. The top 5 states with Indian casinos to reopen the fastest were: North Carolina, Nevada, Louisiana, Oregon, and Oklahoma. The bottom 5 states to reopen the slowest were: Idaho, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado. On average the top 5 states opened in just over 2 months. For the slowest states to open, the average was 7 months. The data provided here on Tribal casino closures and reopening’s, was provided by Casino City Press, in their database, “COVID-19 Gaming Property Closings and Reopening’s in North America.” The company specializes in the publication of information on the gaming industry. They have a dedicated research team that investigates every aspect of the industry.
On March 10th, the Northern Cheyenne was the first Tribe across Indian country to close its casino, Charging Horse Casino & Hotel in Montana to stop the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Two months and 5 days later, on May 9th, the Tribe reopened its casino for business. The following day, on March 11th, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians would close all three of its casinos and not reopen until the month of August, which represented over 5 months of being closed. For the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, these closures amounted to over 41% of 2020 with a sign on their casinos stating, “Closed for Business.” Starting on March 10th, with the closing of the Northern Cheyenne’s casino, wave after wave of casinos closed throughout the month. On March 16th, 86 casinos closed. On March 17th, 161 casinos would close. The following day, another 113 casinos would close. By March end, 524 tribal casinos would shut down to stop the spread of the virus. On April 27th after being closed for 38 days, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, owners of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Idaho became the first Tribal casino in Indian country to reopen after closing temporarily due to COVID-19. Once open, enhanced safety measures were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Coeur d’Alene Casino Chief Executive Officer Laura Stensgar, in a quote explains how she prepared to open the Tribe’s casino to keep customers and employees safe. “We have put a lot of thought and effort into preparing to reopen in the safest way possible. Our team has worked with the medical professionals at Marimn Health to put
24 INDIAN GAMING - ANNUAL REPORT 2022
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