Mexico: 89 casinos already operating with protocols in place

In Mexico, business activities are slowly getting back to normal under a COVID-19 "traffic light" system by which businesses are assigned four different colors: red, orange, yellow, and green. The colors reflect the different stages a business may fall into, varying from an authorization to operate at full capacity to a mandatory shutdown. 

It was expected that casinos would be authorized to reopen in the last stage, but in an official statement issued July 19, the federal government announced that those activities which fall under the scope of the Ley Federal de Juegos y Sorteos Act would be allowed to resume with the approval of the Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos —the local gaming authority— once they reach the "yellow light" stage.

An unofficial source told Yogonet that 89 casinos have already reopened their doors —most of them before the release of Dirección General de Juegos y Sorteos' statement— in the states of Baja California (41), Sinaloa (17), Jalisco (10), Michoacán (6), Morelos (5), Aguascalientes (4), Puebla (4), Chiapas (1) and Colima (1). None of these states has reached the yellow phase of the federal government's traffic light system. Why are these establishments operating, then? The answer is the lack of consistency in the different government levels. The casinos have been operating with permits that have been granted by state or municipal authorities, which follow their own traffic light systems.

Several states have allowed the reopening of casinos at a capacity of 30% (orange light), 50% (yellow), or at full capacity (green).

Some casinos have decided to open every other gaming machine to maintain social distancing while others have established a distance of five feet in between operating slots. Upon entrance, the staff runs temperature checks and sanitizes the visitors' shoes. The use of face-coverings is mandatory. Some casinos have reopened without restaurants or bars while others are offering food and beverages under restaurants' protocols.