Gordy Young of Cheney, Wash., plays video poker in the Coeur d’Alene Casino, which reopened on April 27. Rajah Bose / for NBC News
After being closed for more than a month, the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Worley, Idaho, became the first in the United States to resume operations since the $75 billion gaming industry shuttered in March.
But post-pandemic lockdown, casino operations have looked very different. There is no all-you-can-eat crab at the buffet — which is closed indefinitely — but there is a video on a loop instructing people on how to properly smoke or sip drinks while wearing a mask. The Coeur d’Alene offers hundreds of casinos grappling with how to reopen a glimpse of how new public health measures may play out in venues known for drawing large crowds and selling fun.
Rather than waiting in line for all-you-can-eat crab and prime rib at the casino’s buffet — which is closed indefinitely — guests queued up at the main entrance, standing 6 feet apart, to have their temperature taken before coming inside.
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