CROSS LANES, W.Va. — One of the most popular entities at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in Kanawha County is back, table games.
The Cross Lanes facility reopened its tables on Thursday as part of the casino’s reopening process called “Play It Safe.” The casino officially reopened its doors on June 5 after a nearly 3-month hiatus due to COVID-19.
“One of the biggest requests and questions upon reopening a couple of weeks ago was when are we going to have table games back. So today (Thursday), here we are,” Eric Althaus, President and GM of Mardi Gras Casino & Resort told MetroNews.
Althaus said out of the 34 tables in the facility, all but one game type are available with the restrictions in place and that is Cris-Cross. Popular games including Craps, Roulette, Blackjack, Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em are open for play.
Roulette will be played the same way, according to Althaus while Craps will have two sets of dice for safety. Chips are cleaned and rotated daily and as players come and go stations are sanitized, as well as when there are new dealers.
Althaus said some tables will be different.
“In Blackjack, we have plexiglass on tables and novelty games. Outside of that, Blackjack will be dealt the same because all of our cards on Blackjack are face up anyways,” he said.
“On novelty games like Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, and Mississippi Stud, before the players would handle the cards and now they are not going to be able to do that. The cards will be dealt face-up.”
Mardi Gras opened up at 50 percent capacity two weeks ago, as part of Gov. Jim Justice’s reopening plans from COVID-19. The “Play It Safe” program in place by Mardi Gras’ parent company Delaware North remains in place and includes:
- All incoming guests will be added to a guest registry, and their identity will be stored as a record of their visit.
- All guests will be required to wear a mask or other face-covering during their visit.
- An on-site Clean Team has been created, and its members are equipped with Ecolab multi-surface cleaner and disinfectant to conduct ongoing sanitization of all surfaces. They will help to protect guests by dispensing hand sanitizer and spot cleaning slot machines and other surfaces on request.
- Social distancing protocols are in place throughout the facility.
- Touchless service and payment options are now available at food and beverage outlets.
- Hand-sanitizing stations have been added at the entrance and throughout the facility.
- Air exchange settings have been bolstered to optimize air quality within the facility.
There are a reduced number of slots, live racing without spectators but with onsite wagering, and simulcast wagering. Sports betting remains unavailable but Althaus noted horse racing fans still have the ability to bet on the Belmont Stakes this weekend.
The casino’s hours are 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily and that will allow the facility to receive a deep clean overnight as it follows the Center for Disease Control guidelines. The hotel and restaurants remain closed and the sports bar has a limited menu.
Althaus said all the reopening procedures have gone smoothly.
“People are very happy with the additional cleaning sanitization stations we have. We are cleaning the high touch points, cleaning the rails, cleaning the chairs, cleaning the doors, and cleaning the bathrooms. They feel safe coming here,” he said.
Sister casino to Mardi Gras, Wheeling Island Casino and Racetrack does not have table games open as of Thursday. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and the Mountaineer in Hancock County have reopened table games.
Lots of you have been asking if we’re getting rid of #TableGames and the answer is NO! We’re just finding them a new and better home so we can get them ready for reopening sooner rather than later?Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/Km8QPFBwiX
— Wheeling Casino (@WheelingCasino) June 18, 2020