Casino, We Missed Yo

Over the weekend, Susan and I decided to try our luck at a local casino. Prior to the pandemic, Susan and I were visiting Lucky Star Casino once or twice a month. Last weekend marked our first visit since February.

The casino was less crowded than normal, but more crowded than I expected. Prior to our arrival we had heard stories of people being asked to stand in line (six feet apart) outside the casino, but we didn’t experience that. We were able to immediately enter upon arrival. Signs on the outside of the casino informed patrons that masks were required.

On the other side of the front door, we were greeted by an employee and a security guard. At this checkpoint, our temperatures were taken with what looked like to me a smartphone on a tripod with some sort of thermal attachment. With my face three feet away, the device locked in on my forehead and flashed green. Free masks were available on the table for gamblers without one. Once it was determined that we were corona-free (or at least asymptomatic), we were given yellow wristbands and allowed to enter the casino.

Lucky Star Casino has several free self-serve drink stations positioned around the casino. Currently, all of the drink stations except for one are closed, and that one is being manned by an employee. Drinks are still free, but customers are “served” their drinks. We did not tempt fate by eating at the restaurant, but we saw others inside. The bar in the rear of the casino was also open. None of the table games were running; slots only.

Social distancing on the casino floor is being enforced by an interesting piece of software. After inserting money in a slot machine, the machines on either side of that machine will instantly enter a “sleep mode.” The lights on the other two machines would dim and the normally flashy electronic screens would change to black. “This machine has been electronically disabled by the casino.” I spoke to one of the employees who said that the machines come back online after “somewhere between 30 seconds and 3 minutes,” depending on the make and model. The employee told me the biggest problem they are having is when people walk away from a machine with a few cents left on it, which — since the machine is still technically in use — the surrounding machines remain disabled.

The casino seemed far less smoky than usual. It’s difficult to smoke while wearing a mask, and the cloth masks Susan and I wore seemed to filter out much of the normal smell. It was also difficult to drink while wearing out masks. I sipped on one soda by removing my mask for seconds at a time, the way one might quickly open and close their front door at night to prevent moths and June bugs from following them inside.

Although the casino clearly stated that masks were mandatory, we saw some people without them, and some people wearing them incorrectly. A couple of men had theirs pulled down below their chins as they walked around laughing with beers in their hands. Another woman had the top of her mask pulled down and the top scrunched up to where the mask only covered her mouth. I dubbed that style “the bikini.” We also saw several older people, literally the target corona demographic, without masks. I am not the mask police and didn’t say anything to anyone, but I wish casino employees were a bit more aggressive in asking people to wear them. After being closed for four months, it does not appear the casino is actively looking to lose any more customers.

I am glad to report that the part of the casino that takes all our money still seemed to be functioning. Although many of our old favorites had been replaced by new machines, they all seemed to function in a fashion we were familiar with — that is, a lot of flashing lights and pleasing chimes constantly going off to trick my brain into thinking only losing some of my money was a success. LPW!