They came. They partied. They took off their masks. And their images were captured for everyone to see—including members of the Nevada Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
Numerous people ignored Covid-19 rules, including mask mandates, when they attended the grand opening of Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on March 25. When their photos were published, the host casino was fined $60,000 for the infractions. A citation was issued April 27.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, Virgin’s own Twitter account showed a picture of actor Mario Lopez, minus mask, throwing dice at a craps table. Similar photos showed other maskless patrons mingling among masked employees and others who chose to follow the safety rules.
“We’ve agreed to settle involving our Nevada property stemming from the incidents that occurred on the night of our opening,” said Mohegan Sun CEO Ray Pineault at a suitability hearing before gaming commissioners. “As the lead of the organization, I take full responsibility for the lapse in judgment and failure on the part of our team to uphold the standards of the Gaming Control Board on the date in question.
“Nothing is more important to me and our organization than the safety and security of our team, guests and the community, and I recognize there is no excuse for this behavior. We take the concerns and violations that were raised very seriously and after becoming aware of the incidents, we took immediate remedial action.”
Pineault told the board that Mohegan Sun will pay the fine to “put the matter to rest.”
