Some are wondering about the possibility of a Vegas Casinos Covid vaccination mandate being issued soon. And Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans has become the first in the US to require proof of such a COVID vaccination before they will admit guests, and some some shows and events in Las Vegas are now doing the same. Meanwhile, the World Series of Poker has released their own COVID rules, and those rules have some players thinking of skipping the event this year.
Howdy friends! And thanks for joining me on another edition of This Week in Gambling, where we’re learning that a cough or a sneeze in Las Vegas could cost poker players $10,000 or more! Plus, proof of COVID vaccinations may soon be a requirement just to get in a Las Vegas casino! And those are this week’s big stories!
Harrah’s down in New Orleans has become the first casino in America to require proof of a COVID vaccination or negative COVID test results before they will even let you in the doors! And while Nevada is a long way from Louisiana, Harrah’s casino is owned by Caesar’s Entertainment, who (as we all know) owns a few casinos in Las Vegas. This news comes after the mayor of New Orleans issued a vaccination requirement for most indoor activities… not just casinos. But it does beg the question: Could there be a similar Vegas Casinos Covid vaccination mandate eventually? And of course, that answer is: Yeah!
Believe it or not some shows and events in Las Vegas are already requiring your proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test before they’ll admit you! And while no casinos have issued such a requirement yet, it is being discussed. The governor of Nevada says he does not want to put more rules and restrictions in place, but he’s not ruling out a Vegas Casinos Covid vaccination mandate. And while we wait to find out what happens with Las Vegas casinos, the World Series of Poker is already taking action.
New WSOP COVID rules will be in effect when the event returns to the Rio at the end of next month. Rules so strict, in fact, that some players are saying they might not even show up to play! Players who test positive for COVID (or refuse to be tested at all) will be eliminated from the event and their buy-ins will not be refunded! And check this out: If a player is sitting next to someone who tests positive for COVID they can be eliminated as well!
Yes, believe it or not, if the player sitting next to you tests positive for COVID and you are not fully vaccinated well, your happy ass is gone too! Of course, if you are fully vaccinated they’ll let you stay… you know, so long as you keep testing negative! If a player is eliminated from an event for testing positive for COVID, well, they could still receive some prize money if they finish high enough up, of course. And I know many of you out there are going to have some very strong opinions about this. But please remember, I’m just the messenger here!
If you have a sweet tooth well, you’re sure to like this week’s game review, as we take a look at the Candy Bears Sweet Wins from NetGaming, a 6 reel 5 row game where players try to land clusters of candy symbols to trigger big wins! It comes with a Wild Spawn feature and the Sticky Wins Re-Spins! This game review, along with hundreds more, are available right now on our YouTube channel.
And finally this week, with the resurgence of COVID and the Delta variant, and people worried about new Vegas Casinos Covid vaccination rules, it may come as a surprise to learn that gambling revenue in America just shattered an all-time high! And ironically, we can thank loosening COVID restrictions for that! The gaming industry brought in just over $13.5 billion in the second quarter of this year, thanks in a large part to increased capacity limits at casinos. Of course, sports betting and online gambling growth also contributed. Now we just have to hope that the light we see at the end of this tunnel really is recovery… and not the Coronavirus freight train coming to run us down!