More Nevada Casinos End Mask-Wearing for Vaccinated Guests

Posted on: May 15, 2021, 02:09h. 

Last updated on: May 15, 2021, 04:52h.

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

Several major casinos in Las Vegas and Reno have joined the list of Nevada resorts allowing fully vaccinated guests onto the gaming floor without a COVID-19 mask.

Derek Stevens
Casino owner Derek Stevens allows a mask to dangle from his ear last year while speaking. His casinos in Las Vegas are permitting vaccinated customers onto the gaming floor without a mask. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

In Southern Nevada, the three hotel-casinos that Derek Stevens owns in downtown Las Vegas are allowing fully vaccinated patrons onto the gaming floors without any face covering. These hotel-casinos are Circa Resort, the Golden Gate, and the D Las Vegas. Fully vaccinated employees also are not required to wear masks.

Circa Resort opened last year at Fremont and Main streets as an adults-only property. It is the first hotel-casino built from the ground up in that area in 40 years.  

Also in downtown Las Vegas, the Four Queens Hotel and Casino has posted a sign stating that face coverings are not required for guests vaccinated against COVID-19.

On the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Entertainment is allowing fully vaccinated guests and employees onto the casino floor without masks. Patrons and employees who have not been fully vaccinated are required to wear masks.

Caesars Entertainment owns several properties on the Strip. These include Planet Hollywood, Paris Las Vegas, and the Flamingo on the east side of the highway. On the west side, the company owns Caesars Palace.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask in most indoor and outdoor settings.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is following a directive from Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) aligning the state with CDC guidelines. 

Businesses are allowed to set mask requirements that are more strict than state and federal guidance.

Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts, and the Cosmopolitan also are allowing fully vaccinated guests onto the gaming floor without masks. The Venetian and adjacent Palazzo are following the same no-mask policy for inoculated customers.

People are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after going two weeks since receiving a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, or two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. 

Reno Casinos on No-Mask List 

The Caesars Entertainment hotel-casinos in downtown Reno also are not requiring masks of fully vaccinated guests and employees. These resorts are the Eldorado, Silver Legacy, and Circus Circus.

Reno is in Northern Nevada near the Sierra Nevada mountains and California border.

Also in Reno, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Grand Sierra Resort, and the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino are not requiring masks on the gaming floor if patrons have been fully vaccinated, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Peppermill spokeswoman Katie Silva told the newspaper the resort does not plan to check guests’ vaccination records.

“We respectfully request that our guests who have not been fully vaccinated continue to wear masks on Peppermill premises, consistent with CDC guidelines,” she said.

‘Honor System’

The issue of verifying vaccinations continues to stir conversation on social media sites.

The Gaming Control Board is letting hotel-casinos decide whether to check customer vaccination records. The board is not going to require or prohibit these checks.

On Circa’s Facebook page, a user commenting as Brianna Beaudoin wrote that mask-wearing will be on the “honor system.”

A user identified as Dana Vincente, wrote, “No one will be asking anyone anything. As for the ‘honor system,’ honor ceased to exist in a large segment of our society long ago.”