The state has dozens of card rooms which run 24-7. Those businesses will be forced to concede some of their busiest hours of operation.
California’s tribal casinos may be able to evade the order but guests traveling to or from a reservation could face punishment, thus scaring off traffic.
Ben Deci, a spokesman for the Yocha Dehe Indian Nation, told the Sacramento Bee newspaper, “We had no heads-up that this was coming. We don’t know what the impacts and the implications are for our business.”
The curfew comes at an unfortunate time for tribal casinos in the Golden State with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
Gov. Newsom declared the curfew after weeks of rising Covid-19 cases in the state. California reported a record 13,157 new cases on 19 Nov.
Nevertheless, the state’s card room industry is disappointed with the order.
Kyle Kirkland, president of the California Gaming Association, told the Sacramento Bee, “It is disappointing that the state is implementing a one-size-fits-all as the cardrooms are one of the only industries with COVID-19 regulations in place and they do not permit mask removal. There is no eating permitted at the tables and every table has plexiglass or social distancing between players.”
