Twin Arrows will operate at 50% capacity upon reopening.
Navajo has also rescinded a ban on non-residents of the Nation from visiting its casinos. Navajo reopened Fire Rock Casino and Northern Edge Casino in March at 25% capacity.
The tribe will still require casino patrons to wear masks.
Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise CEO Brian Parrish told Navajo Times, “It’s been 15 months. We’re very excited about this opportunity to reconnect with all of our patrons. On August 1, we’re going to have a grand reopening for all of our properties.”
The reopening of Twin Arrows is a positive sign for Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise, which spent most of the pandemic working with no revenue coming in.
Navajo was forced to furlough 1,100 casino workers at the start of the year.
When the two New Mexico casinos reopened in March, they could only serve people living on tribal land as Navajo leaders decided to close access to non-residents early in the pandemic.
“We still have to have service and payroll and things like that,” Parrish said to Gaming America. “So what it’s done is it forced us to make some very challenging decisions on where to put the cash reserves that we do have to preserve the enterprise and to keep our work force intact.”
The rush of Covid-19 vaccinations has allowed the tribe to reopen gaming. Parrish told Navajo Times that 80% of all casino employees are now vaccinated.
