How Are the Casinos Cleaning Their Chips?

I understand the casinos are doing extra cleaning and removing seats at table games to establish social distancing, but what are they doing about the chips at table games? Surely they are not sanitizing them between hands.

Michael Lawton of the Nevada Gaming Control Board says the onus of cleaning chips falls on the casinos themselves, laconically stating, “Licensees plans are required to address how licensees will disinfect cards and chips.”

“Chips are cleaned once a day, which exceeds current requirements,” says Chelsea Ryder, of Caesars Entertainment.

That begs the question of what the requirement is, which was explained by Boyd Gaming’s David Strow. “In Nevada, we currently clean chips once per week, as mandated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board,” he said. “Other states require more frequent cleaning, and we are complying with those requirements in those states.”

Las Vegas Sands spokesman Keith Salwoski says that the Venetian and Palazzo clean their chips once a day. He adds, “Further, they are disinfected at each table by the dealer approximately every two hours, with additional sanitization procedures in place throughout the day. At the completion of each round of play, dealers place used chips in a designated spot, so they can be periodically cleaned before being put back into play. A "Venetian Clean" chip is placed in each tray to signify the chips that have been deep cleaned. In addition, chips are cleaned prior to transferring to table games from the casino bank.”

Salwoski concludes that resort protocols “also address the ongoing sanitization of table rails, dice, card shoes, poker cards, shufflers, roulette wheels, table game podiums, blackjack discard holders, and toke boxes.”

Perhaps the best advice comes from Strow, who emphasizes the proverbial ounce of prevention over a pound of cure. “The one point we emphasize to all customers is this: You should always sanitize or wash your hands both before and after playing a table game, and we’ve placed hand sanitizers near all table game pits to make this as easy as possible.”

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Comments

rokgpsman Jun-21-2020

Risks of play

Sounds like they are taking measures to reduce players exposure to the virus. But at table games you'll still be touching chips, table surfaces, chairs, ashtrays, drink holders and other objects that other people have recently touched. If handshaking can transfer the virus it's possible for any of this to also transfer it. Everyone touches their face or rubs their nose without thinking about it and you'll do that after your hands are maybe contaminated. So even if dice are removed for cleaning at the end of each shooter's turn and if cards are dealer-touch only there are still several other potential hot-spots at a gaming table. The electronic game machines like slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, etc will be easier to reduce risk, you can wipe it down and be the only one touching it while you're playing. Not sure about the public restrooms in the casino, they get a constant stream of people and that was already an iffy germ-fest before this virus problem. It's a gamble.

Brent Jun-21-2020

Surfaces aren't the problem, WEAR A MASK!

All the best current data indicates that there is a low risk of contracting the virus from surfaces. Conversely, there is a high risk of contracting the virus from inhaling water droplets exhaled from non-symptomatic carriers.

Cleaning chips and tables is not an effective way of limiting the spread. The Gaming Control Board should be mandating that everyone on the floor, including patrons, mustwear a mask that covers both their mouths and their noses.

Jerry Patey Jun-21-2020

Cleaning

Masks make no diff. Cannot believe virus survives the vegas heat. Remember cases are anyone who has the antibody. This means you are a carrier. You are immune to corona. You do not !!! Need a vaccine. It could be early disease but is prob not. China numbers are low because they are counting only patients with symptoms. In USA anyone who has antibody is counted as having full blown case. Carrier rate is about 15%. Go to football. Say there are 50 players. 6-8 will have antibody. Thus idiot Dr Faucie says football will be cancelled. No reason for this. Same with basketball hockey etc   He says there may be a new shutdown. Critics on this forum do not see there are 40 mil on unemployment. 50% of business will not reopen. The country will not survive another shutdown. This is similar to flu virus. If you are tested for flu antibody many will be positive. You do not have flu. Comirbity death is counted a corona death. Deaths from flu last year 70-90 k. Death # here are doctored. Push back!!

rokgpsman Jun-21-2020

Vegas policy

Nevada and Las Vegas casinos have already decided on not requiring face masks for customers, so that's not going to happen unless the individual customer wants to wear one. That just leaves the cleaning of surfaces and frequent-touched objects as something they can do. They will encourage you to use hand sanitizer often and to wear a face mask if you want to, but they aren't going to police either one. Employees must wear masks, that's probably got more to do with the casino resort protecting itself from lawsuits about unsafe workplaces. So you assume the risks if you visit this environment. Lots of people are getting sick worldwide and some are dying, doctors all over the world are determining that the covid19 virus is the cause in many cases. No way it's a hoax or politics, that couldn't be pulled off worldwide for this length of time. This is much more than a USA event, no news media or government or other organization anywhere could fake something to this extent. It's real.

Bobby Hart Jun-21-2020

Stick with what worked in the past

Or they can stick to the tried and true method of never letting the players hold too many chips.

Brent Jun-21-2020

Ignore the experts. Listen to Jerry!

Literally every medical expert agrees that wearing masks significantly reduces the spread. But Jerry is here to let you know that they don't matter...because Jerry!

Brent Jun-21-2020

Apologies to George Orwell

“Jerry told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was his final, most essential command.”

Kevin Lewis Jun-21-2020

Darwin visits Vegas

You have to realize, the type of person who cheerfully walks into a perfect infection environment--such as a casino--is also the type of person who doesn't wear a seat belt, has french fries for breakfast, and owns fifteen guns.

Everybody out of the gene pool!

Gene Brown Jun-21-2020

Jerry!

Vegas is heat but it's temperature is far below the boiling point of water. Elementary school science taught us us that we could definitely kill most pathogens at 212 degrees F. What you have declared is scientifically unproven.  A little knowledge can kill you. You sound like some one who can end up being "dead right". Please stay away from all Caesars properties in Vegas. I don't want to trust in what you believe.

Kurt Wiesenbach Jun-21-2020

masks mandatory sometimes

At a couple of casinos you can't play at a table if you aren't wearing a mask. The Flamingo is one of those, and they were enforcing it 100% last weekend. But only at the tables, most people were wandering the casino or playing slots without one. Hardly any social distancing was observed, especially in lines and in areas where people congregate such as bars and Fremont Street. All the tables I sat at had hand sanitizer in one corner even if it was a casino that didn't require masks.

John Jun-21-2020

Funny Farm

Who let Jerry P. out  of the Funny Farm ? I am sure medical professionals only wear the masks because they are fashionable.

rokgpsman Jun-21-2020

Face masks req'd

Thanks Kurt! I checked and it looks like the Nevada casino reopening rules were recently updated. Face masks are required for players and dealers at table games if there is no barrier (large plastic shield) between the dealer and players. So casinos have the option, not install the protective barrier and require face masks at the table, or install the barrier and face masks are optional. Many are installing the barrier since it allows customers to not wear a mask, that's probably preferred by many players, especially those that smoke. This may be an evolving issue as conditions and attitudes change.

Question of the Day - 21 June 2020

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