Casinos in Miami are once again shut down as positive cases of the coronavirus continue to grow in the Miami-Dade area. The casinos have been reopened for a little more than six weeks but will have to shut their doors for the second time since mid-March.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez implemented a 10 pm curfew throughout the area and also forced several nonessential businesses to cease operations. Entertainment facilities, including the four commercial racetrack casinos, will be forced to close for the foreseeable future.
The four commercial racetrack casinos that are affected by this announcement are Calder, Casino Miami, Hialeah Park, and Magic City. These properties have all lost millions of dollars since mid-March, but they were starting to make up some ground over the last six weeks of operations.
Mayor Gimenez hopes that the 10 pm curfew will keep people from hanging out in large groups, and that will effectively stop the spread. The state of Florida has seen recent surges in positive cases as much of the state began lifting restrictions in early June.
There were more than 10,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which smashed a previous record. Miami-Dade leads all areas of Florida with more than 42,000 confirmed cases, and South Florida beaches are closed this weekend in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Seminole Tribe Continuing Operations
Even though commercial casinos in the state are once again shut down, the lone tribal casino in the Miami-Dade area can remain open. The city or state don’t have any authority over tribal casinos, and the Seminole Tribe has no plans on shutting down their properties.
The Seminole Tribe owns and operates three casinos in the Miami-Dade or Broward County area. These three casinos are Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel, Seminole Classic Casino, and Casino Coconut Creek.
The Seminole Tribe has a ton of power in the state of Florida, and they also play a huge role in the economic structure in the state. The Seminole Tribe has implemented many health and safety protocols to keep both their customers and their employees safe.
Everyone that enters the casino must have their temperature checked before they are allowed into the building. Guests and employees must also wear masks at all times while inside the casino.
Even though Miami-Dade and Broward County would prefer that the Seminole tribe close down their three casinos, the Seminoles are confident that they can keep everyone safe.
Broward County Mayor Dale Holness has not shut down nonessential businesses, but he did issue a warning for the July 4 weekend. Face coverings are required for everyone in a public space where social distancing guidelines cannot be met.
All four of the commercial casinos in Broward County are allowed to remain open this weekend, which should bring in plenty of money during the holiday weekend.
Miccosukee Resort & Gaming Has Smaller Operation
There is one Native American group that operates a casino in Miami-Dade, and they will also continue to stay open while the commercial casinos shut down. Miccosukee Resort & Gaming is located just outside of the Miami city limits, and they have no plans of shutting their doors for a second time.
The Miccosukee Tribe is not nearly as powerful as the Seminole Tribe, but they have also implemented several health and safety protocols to keep guests and employees safe. The Miccosukee Tribe also has a much smaller operation than what the Seminole Tribe does, which should help promote public safety.
The Miccosukee casino is not able to offer slots or table games, but they do have more than 2,000 electronic bingo games on-site.
