Nevada Casinos Reminded Masks Required During Labor Day Weekend

Posted on: September 4, 2021, 12:45h. 

Last updated on: September 4, 2021, 04:55h.

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

The Nevada Gaming Control Board said this week it will enforce the casino mask mandate over the Labor Day weekend. The board noted “disciplinary action” could result if employees and visitors go maskless.

Venetian mask sign
A sign at the Venetian hotel-casino alerts patrons that COVID-19 masks are required. The Venetian is on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip. (Image: KTNV-TV)

In the Sept. 3 statement, board Chairman J. Brin Gibson noted that Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) issued an emergency directive in July requiring everyone to wear face coverings “in all indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.”

The governor’s July directive noted that COVID-19 is a “statewide public health crisis.” Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, has been listed among counties with “substantial” or “high” COVID-19 community transmission rates. Health officials in some places, including Los Angeles, have cautioned against traveling to Las Vegas because of its rising infections and low vaccination rate.  

As a reminder going into the Labor Day weekend, the board noted that licensed casinos are required to comply with the the July directive, “which mandates masks for both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees, guests, and patrons.”

“The Nevada Gaming Control Board will continue to enforce this directive with the goal of decreasing COVID-19 positivity rates in this state,” according to the statement.

The statement came with a warning that the panel may seek Nevada Gaming Commission “disciplinary action” for mask violations.

Visitors Accustomed to Masks

At least one tourism expert predicts masks won’t be an issue for many Labor Day visitors to Las Vegas. Mask mandates are common around the country.

Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal masks aren’t “new or unexpected for any travelers.”

“With other places requiring vaccine cards and ID just for indoor dining, Las Vegas really is middle of the road in terms of requirements, safe without being intrusive,” she said. “I think this will continue to spell success for Labor Day weekend and the beginning of fall.”

Police Presence 

Capt. Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department also issued a warning about public conduct during the holiday weekend.

It’s Labor Day weekend & we’ll be out in full force to help keep Vegas safe,” Koren said Friday in a tweet. “So have fun, but stay safe.”

The tweet, accompanied by music, shows police officers patrolling the Las Vegas Strip.

Most of the major hotel-casinos on the Strip are outside Las Vegas city limits, under Clark County jurisdiction. The combined city-county police department, known locally as Metro, patrols the entire county, including downtown Las Vegas and the Strip.

Koren often tweets pictures of illegal weapons and narcotics that Metro officers confiscate from criminal suspects on the Strip and nearby tourist areas.  

Koren also recently tweeted a video of an urban climber scaling the exterior of the Aria hotel-casino on the Strip to protest the state mask mandate. When the man reached the top of the hotel tower, police arrested him. 

Another tweet from Koren shows a man being arrested after jumping into a water feature in front of a hotel-casino on the Strip.