MGM Resorts to Open First Non-Smoking Casino on Las Vegas Strip

Posted on: September 14, 2020, 02:42h. 

Last updated on: September 14, 2020, 02:57h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

Park MGM is reopening later this month as the first “fully smoke-free” resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Park MGM
Park MGM is the first Las Vegas Strip property to ban smoking. The resort is set to reopen Sept. 30. (Image: Fox5-TV Las Vegas)

NoMad Las Vegas, a luxury “hotel-within-a-hotel” at Park MGM, also will ban smoking.

After being closed for six months during the coronavirus pandemic, the properties owned by MGM Resorts International are among several hotel-casinos reopening in Las Vegas in the next few weeks.

The off-Strip OYO Casino, formerly Hooters Casino, has set a Sept. 16 date to begin operating again, advertising reopening room rates as low as $13. The Tropicana Casino, built on the Strip in the late 1950s, is slated to reopen Sept. 17.

In a news release on Monday, MGM Resorts announced that Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas will reopen Sept. 30, “completing the reopening of all of its properties around the world following closures earlier this year amid the COVID-19 crisis.”

The company said the decision to ban smoking at Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas was based on customers input.

As we looked toward our reopening, we identified an opportunity to be responsive to recurring guest demand for a fully non-smoking casino resort on the Strip,” said Anton Nikodemus, president of MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas properties.

Park MGM is on the Strip near T-Mobile Arena, a sports and entertainment venue where the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights play their home games.

Governor Gives OK

These reopenings would leave only a small number of Las Vegas-area properties still closed, including Caesars Entertainment’s Planet Hollywood and the Cromwell on the Las Vegas Strip.

Nationwide, 899 commercial casinos have reopened since coronavirus infection rates began to rise in mid-March, according to the American Gaming Association website. Across the country, 94 commercial casinos remain closed.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) permitted casinos to reopen in Nevada on June 4. He had directed casinos and many other businesses to close in mid-March at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Empire State Reopenings

New York is another state where casinos have reopened.

In mid-March, with COVID-19 cases on the rise, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) ordered “nonessential business,” including casinos, to close.

The Empire State is home to four commercial casinos and eight video-only properties, such as racetracks.

Cuomo gave these resorts the green light to begin operating again on Sept. 9 with safety measures in place. After being idle for six months, some resorts in the state needed extra time to reopen under the governor’s safety directives.

Until further notice, casinos in the state can operate only at 25 percent capacity. All guests and employees must wear masks. Table games cannot be put into use unless physical barriers are in place between players.