Although many non-essential businesses have decided to shut down operations until the Coronavirus virus epidemic subsides, some casinos have defied the potential dangers and kept their doors open. The Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee, Florida, decided to remain open despite the Coronavirus claiming the life of a recent visitor.
Earlier this afternoon, NBC Miami reported that all Seminole Casino properties in the state of Florida will close at 6 PM today, triggering the closure of the Immokalee location.
“This decision was not taken lightly as Seminole Gaming employs nearly 14,000 Seminole Gaming team members in the state. The goal has been to protect their livelihood without jeopardizing public safety. We have now reached a point where we do not feel comfortable taking that risk.” – The Seminole Tribe of Florida
While attempting to stay open, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, the Seminole Casino sanitized all playing surfaces, powered down slot machines to allow for several feet of space between customers, and imposed table limits to curtail potential COVID-19 exposure.
Do these brick-and-mortar casinos have the best interest of the visiting gambler in mind?
Ensuring clean playing surfaces is a great preventative measure to contain the spread of a virus, but all it takes is one infected person to come in contact with said surface to endanger everyone else. With 500 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths so far in Florida, it’s about time the Seminole Tribe of Florida followed the lead of other land-based casinos and shut their doors.
Are in-person casino games worth the risk of exposure to a potentially deadly virus? Although some still think so, the best option is staying at home and placing a bet with a legitimate online casino. They offer all the excitement of the real thing with the same level of accuracy and fair play found at similar machines in land-based casinos.
The Seminole is located just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home to many retirees and snow-birds, most of whom fall into the highest risk factor demographic of 60+ years of age. Many advanced aged citizens in the region frequent the Seminole as a pastime and have been doing so during the contagion.
No timeline has been given for reopening the Seminole casinos in Florida, leaving many gamblers seeking an alternative to physical casinos. With many legitimate mobile casino options available to US citizens who are stuck at home, perhaps its time that the older generation adapts to newer technology and embraces the use of online casinos.
Although Florida has not passed legislation allowing for the regulation of online in-state gambling, the lack of specific US online wagering laws on the books allows for legal wagering online at a top-rated offshore casino operating online.
If you are currently practicing social distancing and imposing a self-quarantine like all US citizens should be doing at this time, offshore casinos are the perfect solution for gamblers with extra time on their hands. Try a hand or two of online video poker to hold you over until this quarantine is over.