Wynn reinvents the buffet; Cash out, digital in?

We seem to have been overfearful in predicting the demise of the Las Vegas buffet. Wynncore‘s reopens on Thursday, making it the first to do so. But it won’t be the same old same-old. Yes, there will be 90 selections and, yes, you can eat ’til you burst (or until your two hours are up). But you’ll be ordering off a menu and be served at your table. Wynncore management is making up for any perceived inconvenience with a score of new selections, including “steak and lobster topped with a Bearnaise sauce; lobster ravioli featuring roasted red peppers and fennel and finished with saffron sauce; as well as Old Bay-braised shrimp and scallops served with a spicy tomato compote.” Menus will either be disposable or downloadable and tables will be spaced further apart. Oh, and you don’t have to pay until you’re finished but you do have to make reservations. It’s still pricey (as much as $66), especially if you order alcohol for which there is a hefty surcharge.

* Could new Coronavirus protocols bring the advent of digital payment to casino floors? CNBC is asking that question, noting that the CDC is advocating “tap-and-pay to limit handling of cash.” (Nevada regulators will mull the potential change June 25.) Fully behind this movement is the American Gaming Association, which notes that 59% of U.S. customers say Covid-19 has made them fight shy of cash transactions. “Any customers uneasy about using cash on the gaming floor due to health or safety concerns should have an alternate payment option available to them,” said AGA President Bill Miller. “Casinos are really looking for some modernization in the industry that for too long has been almost entirely reliant on cash.” Miller is heeding constituents like Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden, who told investors that “We’re still an industry, probably the last out there, that transacts only in cash.”

This call to action has already been anticipated by digit-payment providers like Sightline, whose founder Kirk Sanford is seeking a comeback in the industry with his Pay+ technology, interlinked with Discover cards. “It removes one more obstacle to the hygienic running of a gaming floor and reduces costs for constant cleaning,” he told CNBC. To a similar end, Miller has released a set of “Payments Modernization Principles.” The AGA has been working on these since the winter of 2018. They’re fairly broad (“Ensure state laws enable a flexible regulatory approach, capable of keeping pace with evolving forms of digital payments.”) and some smack of federalism (“Create a uniform regulatory environment for casino operators, suppliers, and regulators.”) but it’s a first set of steps in the right direction. It could provide new anti-money-laundering tools and, as the AGA says, “The more customers are empowered to self-monitor and govern their own spending and gaming behavior, the better.”

* If you want to drink and promenade simultaneously, come to Atlantic City. Open-carry (not in the firearm sense) is now legal in the tourism district, i.e., where the casinos are. You don’t have to brown-bag it—and look like an alkie—anymore. At least temporarily, thanks to a decree by Mayor Marty Small (D). Vegas has been doing this for decades, so why should the Boardwalk be a booze-free zone? Said developer Pat Fasano, “It gives Atlantic City the atmosphere of New Orleans—bar-hopping, listening to live music, catching a drive-in movie.” He added, “We want people to be fluid.” Oh, they will be. Casinos are down with the new regime, with Casino Association of New Jersey prexy Steve Callender saying, “We endorsed the open-container legislation several years ago, and still support it. We want to encourage residents and tourists to come to Atlantic City, and believe this order will attract visitors back to our great city.” Trenton, meanwhile, has its own open-container legislation in the hopper, gaining special urgency since Small’s order evaporates when Gov. Phil Murphy (D) reopens casinos. Restaurateur Dino Dounoulis cuts to the chase, saying, “It’s survival mode right now.”

* Even before Delaware racinos closed for Covid-19 they were making plans for how they would reopen, which they did June 1. Capacity is restricted to 30% and slot machines are eight feet apart. Venues like Delaware Park are going above and beyond the call of duty, to the extent of even testing vendors and other non-employees for Coronavirus (at $100 a swab). Reports Delaware Park President William Fasy, “We had two positives, out of over 600 people.” Unlike some casinos, Delaware Park was clement with its workforce. “We paid all the employees an extra two weeks of pay, including tips,” Fasy told Global Gaming Business. “Employees who depended on tips got what they normally would get for the first two weeks, over and above their regular benefits.”

As Fasy sees it, smaller gaming operations aren’t out of the woods. “In our industry, it’s tough if you have a lot of debt right now … I’m sure there are going to be some casino companies that get acquired because they can’t handle the situation.” Still, Fasy reports “very strong” business, even with only 700 slot machines on line. Delaware’s cleanliness regimen is perhaps the toughest in the country, with slots cleaned every 15 minutes (no matter if someone is playing them or not), no table games until Phase Two and acrylic face shields for dealers. Harness racing comes back June 17 but without spectators. Even so, says Fasy, “People want to get out of their houses.” He predicts, ““You’re definitely going to see the Plexiglas at the cashier locations and other locations for some time. We’re going to purchase some acrylic dividers for slot machines, so people can have their own slot machine area.” Doesn’t sound so bad.

* One of our roving reporters writes, “I actually made money in Deadwood … I’ve seen the new order in action, looks a lot like the old way, with a little more distance.” Yeah, we’ve been hearing that all over.

Jottings: Three U.K. casinos owned by Genting Group may be closed, as the market reels from the effect of Coronavirus … The Interior Department has signed off on Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s first two tribal-gaming compacts. State Attorney General Mike Hunter fumed that this was “irresponsible” but Stitt comes out the winner … No hurry on those Oscar bets: The awards ceremony has been postponed from February 28 to April 25 … Boyd Gaming has filed notice with Louisiana that it is preparing to lay off as many as 1,500 employees. Boyd owns five casinos/racinos in the state … Shreveport casinos go smoke-free in 60 days, as the smokeless movement continues to overtake the Bayou State.