HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Several South Florida casinos are opening their doors for the first time in months but with restrictions in place.

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Some health officials think the casinos may be taking a gamble reopening one day after the number of COVID-19 cases Florida hit a record high.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is one of the casinos reopening on Friday.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida would be allowed to add craps and roulette at its casinos under a bill now moving in the Florida Senate.The Senate committee Local / State Seminole Tribe Puts $1 Million Toward Helping Anti-Casino Measure.

“We certainly recognize our employees have gone through some difficult times, as everyone has, based upon the unfortunate pandemic,” said Hard Rock International Chair Jim Allen.

Hialeah Park Racing and Casino will also be reopening and said they are prepared to welcome patrons back.

“We’ve been working for about 11 weeks to make everything here for our employees and our guests and our customers as safe as possible,” said Hialeah Park Racing and Casino general manager Steve Calabro.

Some of the new protocols involve temperature checks and a requirement that face masks be worn.

Every other slot machine has been unplugged to ensure social distancing at Hialeah Park Racing and Casino and when a machine is not being used any longer it will be disinfected before the next person sits down.

“One of the clean team members will clean that seat and area down,” said Calabro.

The casino has also made changes to the Poker room where adjustable partitions have been added in between each seat and around the entire table.

The Poker chips will also be cleaned throughout the day.

Similar precautionary measures are being used at The Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach.

“We have sanitizing touchless stations where you can get sanitizer,” said Daniel Adkins with The Big Easy Casino.

Officials with Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Seminole Classic Casino and the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek said they will also turn off alternating slot machines.

Temperature scanners have been installed at the casinos and plexiglass barriers will divide players and dealers at table games and customer service areas.

Clean teams will routinely disinfect gambling machines and frequently touched surfaces.

“Our Safe and Sound program is really all about safety, and we truly respect the seriousness of this particular issue,” said Allen.

Some are uncertain about reopening the casinos as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

The increase in cases comes after the phased reopening of restaurants and other businesses in the state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “Go look at New York, what New York had. That’s a spike, so to say that there’s a spike, there’s just never been a spike in Florida.”

Experts, however, disagree with the governor.

“It’s not an equivalent situation,” said infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty with Florida International University.

Between the protests, state-wide reopenings and residents just not following CDC guidelines, Dr. Marty said increases of cases are likely to continue until people follow the rules in place.

“If you give the virus the opportunity to go from one host to the next, it will,” said Dr. Marty.

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Every day, it seems like more casinos around the country begin to open back up. Florida has been one of the most aggressive states in reopening the economy. According to new reports, Florida’s casino industry is starting to come back to life.

Several South Florida casinos are opening up this week. It’s great news for gambling fans in the area. Now is the perfect time to look at which gambling venues are opening their doors here.

Let’s get into it!

Governor DeSantis Continues Allowing Businesses to Reopen

When Will Fl Casinos Reopen

Like all other states, Florida’s leaders ordered almost all businesses to shut their doors back in March. Many criticized the state officials here for taking too long to make these orders. Many beaches remained open to the public here while other nearby states were basically shut down.

Time went on, and Florida’s infection rates remained fairly low. Eventually, Governor Ron DeSantis started giving certain businesses the green light to reopen. The state even started allowing major sports leagues to start operating here.

The WWE began hosting events in the state. Weeks later, the UFC moved its operations to Jacksonville. The MMA leader hosted three separate events in this city. Other state leaders began looking at Florida for advice on how to safely reopen.

Of course, Covid-19 infection rates continue to rise and fall around the country. In recent days, infection rates have begun rising in this state. In just one day, for example, 1,371 new cases were officially recorded here.

It’s a complicated situation. Leaders around the country are attempting to weigh the pros and cons of reopening their economies. Despite the rise in Florida’s cases, officials here are still pushing to lift regulations. It now appears that some of the biggest casinos will soon open their doors here.

Florida’s Casino Industry is About to Open Back Up

Many are surprised to find that Florida actually has one of the largest casino industries in the Southern United States. Some of these are racinos, offering just slot-style games. There are also many Native American casinos that offer Class III games such as slots and table games.

For months, all of these venues have been shut down. Members of the Seminole Tribe have discussed several different plans to safely reopen their gaming venues. Now, it appears they’re ready to resume operations.

According to new reports, the Hard Rock Hollywood Hotel-Casino and many other venues in Southern Florida will begin operating again on Friday. Obviously, a huge number of safety measures will be set in place. You can see some of them below.

• Temperature checks will be required for all guests.
• All guests will be required to wear masks.
• Plexiglass barriers will be set on table games to divide players.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the casino floor.
• Only 50% of the casino capacity will be allowed in.

These are just a few of the regulations being required. They may change as time goes on. Whether they become more or less intense is not entirely known.

Many are looking forward to Florida’s casino industry getting back on track. The Seminole Tribe has lost an incredible amount of money due to the regulations put in place here. We’ll make sure to offer updates on how much revenue is earned once these venues start accepting guests again.

Is Sports Betting Coming to Florida Soon?

State leaders seem to encourage casinos opening in Florida. Many feel the taxes earned from these venues will help the state recover from the past few months. The same can be said for almost all other states.

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen many states around the country look more into the legalization of sports betting. More than 20 states now have a regulated sports betting industry and most of them are earning an incredible amount of revenue from the industry every single month.

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Florida has not yet legalized sports betting. Several politicians have been working hard to change this. In order to do so, however, the state will likely need to come to an agreement with the Seminole Tribe on revenue and taxes.

In November of 2019, Senator Jeff Brandes presented several bills to legalize sports gambling. These were not approved. Many sports gambling advocates in the state are now working to come up with bills.

For now, state leaders seem focused on reviving Florida’s casino industry. Some of the best properties here, including the Hard Rock Florida venue, are scheduled to open up here later this week. Hopefully, sports gambling is approved here by the end of the year.

Casinos In Florida

Stay tuned for more Florida gambling news over the next few weeks!