Philadelphia will join other cities is requiring proof of vaccination before entry into restaurants, arenas such as the Wells Fargo Center, and casinos like Live! Casino Philadelphia. The mandate, which takes effect on January 3, resulted because of a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and the evolution of the omicron variant, according to PlayPennsylvania.
Announced December 13, the mandate applies to indoor sports venues.
*“New cases and hospitalizations are rising, and we must do more to protect our residents. The City’s indoor mask mandate helped us control case rates this fall, so we are rolling out a complementary vaccine mandate for food establishments, where masking is not feasible,” said Mayor Jim Kenney.
From January 3 through 17 a negative test within 24 hours will be accepted. instead. After January 17, proof of vaccination will be required.
Currently, masks are required at Philadelphia casinos and other indoor businesses. As a result, smoking is not permitted at Philly casinos right now.
New York City’s vaccine mandate applies to visitors at Resort World NY, the only casino in New York City. New Orleans also requires vaccine proof at Harrah’s New Orleans.
Former casino industry exec turned university instructor and casino consultant, Robert Ambrose, gave his perspective on what producing proof of vaccination could mean for casinos and customers.
“This is another operational post-pandemic challenge for casinos under this mandate at least here in Philly. First, I think casino customers that are not vaccinated will just shift their loyalty to a non-mandated casino in the region or gamble online.”
“I spent most of my career at the executive level in casino operations, so I look at the issues with ‘policing’ it,” Ambrose said.
Covering the many casino entrances with staffing to check for vaccination cards will be a challenge. And using a security guard who is already posted at the entrance to handle this task adds another item to their list of underage ID checks and watching for suspicious activity.
“On the consumer side, I think most casino customers will comply. However, if lines become long to enter the casino because of card checks during a busy night, this could be a negative for the guest. I think other casino jurisdictions will be watching how this pans out,” Ambrose said.
