Things are starting to get back to normal in Las Vegas, with several Sin City Casinos recently being given permission to operate their gaming floors at 100%. The most recent casino to be given this permission is The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. The Cosmopolitan was granted permission on Saturday the 1st of May 2021.
Las Vegas Starts to Return to Normal
The Cosmopolitan is the third Las Vegas Casino to be permitted to start operating its casino floor at 100%. The approval to operate at 100% results from 80% of the casino’s staff receiving their vaccination against the Coronavirus. The other two casinos given permission are Wynn Resorts Casinos, namely Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. Both of these casinos have managed to vaccinate 88% of their casino staff.
The easing of regulations for these casinos also permits removing plexiglass dividers at gaming tables and slot machines. However, masks will still be required. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has also increased the gaming floor capacity throughout Clark County. Clark County includes all of Las Vegas. The capacity has been increased from 50% to 80%, unless casinos are given permission to go higher.
Cosmopolitan Workers Incentivised to Get Vaccine
There is quite a strong anti-vaccine culture in the United States, so The Cosmopolitan has instituted an incentive program to encourage more workers to get at least one dose of the vaccine. The casino set aside $1 million for bonuses is 80% of the staff was vaccinated. This needed to be achieved b the 1st of May, but the deadline was extended to the 8th of May.
Once 80% vaccination was achieved, employees would receive a $250 cash bonus. At 90%, the bonus would increase to $350, and at 100%, it goes up to $500. There is an additional bonus if 85% of staff is vaccinated by the 8th of May, then all vaccinated employees will be entered into a raffle to win $10 000.
Finally, for any worker who refuses to get the vaccine, they will be required to submit to weekly COVID tests. The casino has opened on site vaccination and testing facilities for workers and their families to facilitate this. The Governor of Nevada is hoping that the entire state will able to operate at 100% by the 1st of June 2021.
Dave Cooper is the Senior Content Manager at CasinoUS.com, leading the creation of informative and engaging content for casino players. Fueled by a fascination for the intricate world of online gaming and a talent for storytelling, Dave holds a journalism degree from UNLV, a perfect launchpad for his illustrious career.
