Gaming Control Board Releases Casino Reopening Protocols

HARRISBURG, PA:  The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) today publicly released a document shared with the Commonwealth’s casino operators outlining the minimum requirements required to be fulfilled prior to re-opening their facilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ten-page guideline document is available through a special link on the homepage of the PGCB’s website.

“As conditions throughout the Commonwealth improve and the reopening of casinos is authorized, the PGCB desires to assure that re-openings occur in a manner which promote the safety of casino patrons and employees alike as well as assure an environment conducive to proper regulatory oversight,” said Executive Director Kevin O’Toole.

O’Toole said these new operational requirements have been laid out by the PGCB based on best-practices guidelines along with the various plans authored by gaming companies operating in Pennsylvania.

“While these guidelines for casino operations will be subject to amendment as we move closer to a time of reopening, we believe this plan will be effective in mitigating and reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for all employees, patrons, and other guests,” O’Toole added.

O’Toole acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt Pennsylvania’s casino industry an unexpected and unprecedented blow over the last few months, and the PGCB is committed to assisting each of Pennsylvania’s licensed casino operators and facilities to re-open in a safe and efficient manner. 

“We fully anticipate that we will work with the industry as it seeks to become, once again, an economic engine for Pennsylvania and to restore the first-rate entertainment facilities each of our licensees have developed,” O’Toole concluded.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling legalized under 2004’s Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017. In addition to slot machine and table games gambling at land-based casinos, legal gaming regulated by the PGCB includes online casino games available to date on seven sites; sports wagering offered through sportsbooks at 13 retail locations and through nine online outlets; video gaming terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops; and, fantasy sports contests through eight providers.

The mature land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ over 16,000 people and, along with other types of Board-regulated gaming, has annually generated over $1.5 billion in tax revenue.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/ . You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.