Nevada will reduce COVID-19 restrictions and increase capacity on gaming floors starting Monday, Feb. 15, and even more on March 15 — days ahead of March Madness — in a move Wall Street analysts said will boost tourism and convention business in the coming months.
The plan outlined Thursday by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has already paid dividends.
The Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas announced within an hour of Sisolak’s press conference that it was reopening the former Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on March 25. Strip casinos that have shut down some operations for midweek business are preparing to reverse those closures starting in March.
The Hard Rock closed in February 2020 as part of a renovation and rebranding and remained closed even after the Las Vegas gaming industry resumed June 4 after a 2½-month shutdown due to the coronavirus. A planned Jan. 15, 2021, reopening was postponed after Sisolak announced Thanksgiving week that casinos’ gaming floor capacity would be cut from 50% to 25%.