Canary in the coal mine

In Asian cultures, safety protocols like wearing a face mask are routine—they’ve dealt with viral outbreaks in the past, it’s not unusual,” gaming consultant Andrew Klebanow told Global Gaming News. And though Covid-19 cases spiked at 17,000 in Singapore, Klebanow’s betting on it to recover faster than other, less-prepared jurisdictions. (Skeptics are postponing a full recovery until 2023.) In comparison to the city-state, Nevada “closed for 78 days, but we didn’t get much guidance from the CDC or the state for at least half that time, 45 days.” Heck, Singapore was erecting protective barriers and shutting slot machines and practicing social distancing before it went into casino lockdown. While some aspects of Singapore’s paternalistic society wouldn’t go down so well over here, there’s quite a bit to be learned from its proactive approach to Coronavirus in the casinos.