English casinos get the green light to re-open
Published on by Becky M.
Casinos in England have finally received the news they’ve been waiting patiently for; a re-opening date! From 1stAugust, casinos in England will be able to re-open their doors and welcome their customers once again after over four months of closure.
Scottish and Welsh casinos still remain close
Although casinos in England have cause for celebration, casinos in Scotland and Wales will remain closed until their respective devolved Governments give them the green light. This will be greatly disappointing as the casino industry is one of the last sectors to be able to re-open, yet contributes huge amounts in terms of taxes to the Government and the tourist industry. In England, casinos bring in over £4million each week in tourism, contribute over £300million each year in taxes and employ over 12,000. As a result, The Betting and Gaming Council were keen to work with the Government to enable casinos to re-open as soon as possible.
New safety measures
Now casinos in England have a re-opening date, they will have to abide by strict anti-covid measures to reduce the risk of spreading the virus and therefore, casinos will look a little different when their doors finally open. Tables and seating will be arranged differently to ensure social distancing and players will have to use hand sanitiser before and after each gaming session at each table. They won’t be allowed to move freely between tables in order to reduce risk, and face coverings should be made available to any players that require one. There will be hand sanitising stations throughout and a thorough programme of cleaning and disinfecting. 
Michael Dugher, the Betting and Gaming Council’s Chief Executive is delighted that casinos in England can finally re-open: “After four long months of lockdown, it’s fantastic to see casinos will reopen safely for business again on 1 August. I am delighted that they can now play their part in supporting the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector.“BGC casino members went the extra mile to meet strict COVID guidelines some weeks ago but were left in the dark as to when they would be allowed to reopen. I’d like to thank DCMS Secretary of State Oliver Dowden, Minister Nigel Hiddleston and the many cross-party MPs who supported us and worked hard to secure a reopening date.”Hopefully casinos in the rest of the UK will be given the go-ahead shortly.