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WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole said, as conditions improve and the reopening of casinos is authorized, the re-openings will occur in a manner which promotes the safety of casino patrons and employees alike, as well as assure an environment conducive to proper regulatory oversight.

At a meeting in Harrisburg, the PGCB released a document to casino operators outlining the minimum requirements required to be fulfilled prior to re-opening their facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 10-page guideline document is available through a special link on the homepage of the PGCB’s website.

O’Toole said these new operational requirements have been laid out by the PGCB based on best-practices guidelines along with the various plans authored by gaming companies operating in Pennsylvania.

“While these guidelines for casino operations will be subject to amendment as we move closer to a time of reopening, we believe this plan will be effective in mitigating and reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for all employees, patrons, and other guests,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt Pennsylvania’s casino industry an unexpected and unprecedented blow over the last few months, and the PGCB is committed to assisting each of Pennsylvania’s licensed casino operators and facilities to re-open in a safe and efficient manner.

“We fully anticipate that we will work with the industry as it seeks to become, once again, an economic engine for Pennsylvania and to restore the first-rate entertainment facilities each of our licensees have developed,” O’Toole said.

In mid-March, the PGCB ordered the state’s casinos to close during the pandemic.

Luzerne County and Monroe County remain in the “red” phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan. Under that plan, all entertainment facilities, including casinos, theaters, concerts, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, racetracks, professional, semi-professional or amateur sports teams or clubs, carnivals, amusement and water parks, must continue to remain closed until a county is moved to the “yellow” phase.

PA Gaming Control Board releases casino reopening protocols