By midday Friday, March 20, most casinos across the United States had already closed their doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Among the last holdouts were gaming halls run by the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes of South Florida.
On Thursday, Seminole tribal spokesman Gary Bitner said steps had been taken at that tribe’s five gaming halls to minimize the threat of the virus, such as turning off half of the slots, closing poker rooms and restaurants, and suspending the daily Guitar Hotel Light Show at the $1.5 billion Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood. Bitner said employees could stay home and use paid time off even if they had none left.
But by the end of the work week, under pressure from Florida residents and public officials, the tribe conceded it was time to close. Rep. Jackie Toledo of Tampa had said the tribe was “encouraging the spread of this virus. There is no reason in this war against an invisible enemy, the Seminole Hard Rock can’t keep its employees and patrons safe.” Seminole Gaming employs nearly 14,000 people in the state.
Even after the Seminole gaming halls closed at 6 p.m. Friday night, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in West Miami-Dade remained open. As a sovereign nation, the tribe was not required to obey Governor Ron DeSantis’ March 17 order to shut down for 30 days.
The Miccosukee canceled its popular bingo games and closed some restaurants as well as its country club but continued to offer slots 24 hours a day. A post on the tribe’s website read, “We do ask that if you are feeling under the weather, that you please stay home and practice social distancing. Any guest that shows symptoms will be asked to leave for the safety of all our other guests.”
Other gaming venues that closed in the state include Casino Miami, Magic City Casino, Calder Casino in Miami Gardens, the Casino at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, the Big Easy Casino in Hollywood and the Casino at Dania Beach.
