Editor’s note: This story has been evolving and we have been updating as more casinos share their plans and procedures. On Saturday, March 14, San Manuel Casino and Pechanga Resort Casino announced temporary closures. On Sunday, March 15, Augustine Casino and Harrah’s Resort Southern California also announced that they were closing. With the fluid nature of the news, visit our casinos page for the latest updates.

In the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley, Southern California’s casinos are social hubs; they’re the places that people go to see shows, eat meals, gamble and have fun. And right up there with festival venues and sports stadiums, they’re the kinds of places that can host thousands of people.

Officials from several Southern California’s casinos say they’re hearing from concerned patrons and are working diligently to protect both their employees and their visitors and to assure those individuals that they’re safe from COVID-19. They’ve been taking measures such as adding additional hand sanitizer stations, communicating about preventative measures to employees and following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and county guidelines.

In the wake of Governor Gavin Newsom’s call to postpone or cancel gatherings of 250 people or more through the end of March, they’re also shutting down entertainment events.

“We are obviously a public space, we have a lot of people coming in every day,” said Jason Cozart, assistant general manager for the Soboba Casino Resort. “We want to make sure that our employees are safe and our guests are safe at all times.”

Concerns from patrons

Before a recent trip to San Manuel Casino, Leonard Dye, 61, of Loma Linda, said the novel coronavirus crossed his mind, but once he was at Highland complex, he didn’t think about it much at all.

“It seems like the common flu is more prevalent and that doesn’t affect us going out in the public so the coronavirus may not have much impact on us at all,” Dye wrote in an email to Southern California News Group, acknowledging that the San Bernardino area hasn’t been impacted by the virus as other Southern California communities have been.

Casinos say they’re hearing concerns from visitors, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to a significant reduction in visits.

Michael Felci, a spokesman for Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, said some visitors have expressed concerns over shows and some requested refunds. However, Felci said visitation has been about the same with lots of people on the gaming floor on a recent weekday morning.

Peter Arceo, general manager for San Manuel Casino in Highland, said that concerns regarding the coronavirus have been sent to the casino via social media.

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“We have assured them that their health and safety, along with the health and safety of our team members is our top priority at San Manuel,” Arceo wrote.

Arceo said that thus far, San Manuel has not seen a difference in the number of visitors.

At Soboba Casino Resort, Cozart said the casino has been hearing lots of concerns and that while they’ve seen a slight decline in the number of visitors, “it has not significantly impacted us at this point.”

“That was part of the response that we tried to put together here,” he said. “There’s fear, there’s fear everywhere and we’re trying to ease that and put all our customers’ minds at ease. I don’t know if we can totally eliminate that fear, but hopefully they see the steps we’re taking on the casino floor, in the hotel, in the food areas, and they’ll understand that we take their health and their safety seriously.”

Postponements, cancellations and closures

With coronavirus concerns about large gatherings continuing to grow, changes to the entertainment lineups of the area’s casinos started to happen.

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage’s Twitter account on Wednesday night retweeted posts indicating that a March 14 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons concert had been postponed, as had the March 11 E-Sports After Dark tournament hosted by Conflux Gaming.

By early Thursday afternoon, Soboba Casino Resort announced that an upcoming March 20 show featuring comedians Colin Jost and Nick Swardson had been postponed. In a letter posted to social media, Assistant General Manager Jason Cozart wrote that guests who purchased a ticket for the show could hold onto their ticket for when the show is rescheduled in the future or could have it refunded.

Fantasy Springs postponed all of its upcoming March shows, including Pitbull (March 14 ), Daryl Hall & John Oates (March 21), Chaka Khan (March 27) and Dancing With the Stars (March 28). Spokesman Michael Felci said that people who purchased tickets can have those tickets honored for new dates or will have the option to get a refund by a certain date that has yet to be established.

Pechanga Resort Casino also postponed shows through the end of March, including this weekend’s concerts by Ana Gabriel (March 13), Pitbull (March 15) and Chicago (March 15). Tickets will be honored for new dates or can be refunded through Ticketmaster if they were purchased online or from Pechanga’s box office if purchased on the phone or in person.

Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa cancelled four March shows: Flogging Molly (March 14), Marlon Wayans (March 20), Le Quyen (March 22) and Rob Lowe (March 27). Tickets for those shows will be automatically refunded, according to a news release. The Cabazon complex also postponed auditions for the TV show “Shark Tank” on Thursday, March 19 and an upcoming Morongo job fair.

In a written statement, Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella wrote that it would cancel all of its remaining Spotlight Showroom performances for March. Those performances include Bob Marley, Abba and Rolling Stones tribute acts. The statement says that for people who purchased tickets to those shows by credit card, refunds will be automatically processed. For people who purchased their tickets with cash, cash refunds will be offered at the Spotlight 29 Box Office from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Harrah’s Resort Southern California announced the postponement of a Thursday, March 12, Flogging Molly show and noted that Ticketmaster would provide information about rescheduling and “additional options for ticket holders.”

Doug Elmets, a spokesman for Pala Casino, Spa & Resort, said the casino had not cancelled any concerts or events as of Thursday afternoon, but was continuing to monitor the situation.

In Coachella, Augustine Casino announced via social media that it was temporarily closing its buffet in Café 54. The social media post noted that the casino would remain operational and that guests would still be able to order food off menus at both Café 54 and Menyikish Grill.

Other measures taken by the casinos

Casinos should have hand sanitizer stations, encourage people not to show up if they’re sick and also have flexible refund policies, Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said in an interview with Southern California News Group on Tuesday, March 10.

Several Southern California casinos have already started to work on plans that involve those measures or similar ones.

Augustine Casino: In its statement on social media, Augustine says it believes the temporary closure of its buffet will help to prevent the likelihood of further spread of the virus. The statement says the casino “will continue to evaluate the health and safety of guests and team members alike” and plans to communicate future decisions as they are made.

Cahuilla Casino: Melissa Asmus, director of operations for the Anza casino, wrote in an email that additional staff members have been hired to “double our cleaning efforts” and that touch points on the property such as door handles, gaming machines, handrails and surfaces and chairs are continually disinfected and cleaned. Asmus said that cleaning of the cleaning of touch points at the nearby Mountain Sky Travel Center has also been doubled. She said that when the new Cahuilla Casino Hotel opens on April 2, they will maintain that cleaning level as the standard.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino: Felci said that the resort has installed additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the property with plans to add more near the entrances and exits of its Special Events Center and is staying vigilant in keeping up to date with messaging from public health officials. He said Fantasy Springs’ human resources department has been putting up messaging throughout the property encouraging employees to take preventative measures, including limiting interaction and washing their hands. He said there are no immediate plans to cancel any of Fantasy Springs’ upcoming shows but noted that that could change as the situation remains fluid. He said that the though the casino usually does not issue refunds for its ticketed shows, it is looking at requests for refunds on a case-by-case basis. Felci also said the casino is adhering to all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and county health officials.

Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa: In a statement, casino officials said they are talking to and educating employees about the coronavirus, how it’s spread and what we needs to be done to protect guests and they are increasing preventative cleaning schedules in public areas.The statement says they are encouraging everyone to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoid close contact with people who are sick, cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. The statement also notes that the Cabazon complex is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and adhering to the guidelines from the CDC and Riverside County.

Pechanga Resort Casino: In a lengthy emailed statement, General Manager Brian D. Decorah wrote that the Temecula area complex has increased the number of self-serve sanitizer stations throughout the casino (for a total of 74) and has increased the disinfectant wipe stations (for a total of 28). He wrote that the resort has upgraded its cleaning disinfectants to hospital grade and that environmental service and housekeeping staff are assigned to clean public and high touch areas 24 hours a day. He said these areas include all slot machines, the main cage, The Club desk, redemption kiosks, ATMs and more. Decorah also said that hand sanitizing wipes have been made available to guests at the cage and rewards club. He said human resources policies have been put in place to keep employees from coming into work sick. The statement also notes that the casino is monitoring advisories from health officials.

San Manuel Casino: Peter Arceo, general manager for the casino, wrote that hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout the property for guests as well as in the back of house for team members. He said casino’s operations team has put preventative measures in place that include “elevating” cleaning schedules and maintaining increased, but respectful, personal space. Arceo said a detailed memo was sent to all employees last week with guidance that included practicing good hygiene, implementing personal space and avoiding handshakes and high fives. The memo also had information on what employees should do if they believe they or a family member is ill. Mike Smith, Chief of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Fire Department, wrote that the property is evaluating essential business travel on a case-by-case basis and has postponed any large meetings or events until it is appropriate to reschedule. Smith also said his agency is working with local and federal authorities and external resources such as consultants and academics to get the latest information on the virus’ risks and preventative measures. Smith said emergency managers have convened a steering committee and task force to follow CDC guidance and there’s an action plan in place that can quickly change as the situation evolves.

Soboba Casino Resort: Grant Hirata, director of the San Jacinto area resort’s hotel, said additional workers — about 5 or 6 per shift — have been allocated to bathrooms and the gaming floor to disinfect surfaces more frequently, additional hand sanitizer dispensers have been put out for guests and the resort has also begun using a new chemical for disinfection. Gloria Baron, director of Human Resources for Soboba, said the resort is following the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance and encouraging employees that if they feel sick, they should stay home. Cozart said that in the employee dining room, the resort has removed all self-service items and that food will be served by the kitchen staff. He said permanent utensils have been swapped out for plastic wrapped disposable ones, “so no one is touching anyone else’s knife or fork or spoon.” Cozart said decisions still need to be made on some of Soboba’s upcoming shows and whether to still hold those. He said the casino is monitoring Riverside County’s recommendations for events. If events are held, Cozart said, there will be additional hand sanitizer put out in the venue space and that masks will be available for a charge of 50 cents.

Spotlight 29 Casino: In a written statement, the casino says it has “taken steps to raise our usual standards of cleanliness and health safety,” including cleaning public touch points such as door handles, elevator buttons, escalator handrails and slot machines multiple times per day; hand sanitizers are located throughout the property and refilled and checked regularly; and team members have been educated on the cause and prevention of the coronavirus and proper hygiene practices. The statement also says that employees with signs of respiratory illness are being asked not to come to work and to seek help from a healthcare professional.

Valley View Casino & Hotel: In a letter to Valley View’s visitors, General Manager Bruce Howard wrote that the casino and hotel have increased the number of times per day that hard surfaces in and around the casino are cleaned and wiped down with sanitizing disinfectant (including counter tops, slot machines, guests service areas, kitchens and food areas), have increased the number of times that every team member must wash their hands throughout the day with warm soapy water, have increased the number of briefings with team members to give them updates and has added wall and floor-mounted sanitizing stations around the casino for all guests and team members to use. The letter notes that the casino has always used and will continue using a 60 percent alcohol solution that contains hydrogen peroxide and has always had automatic flushers, faucets and soap dispensers so guests don’t have to touch surfaces in restrooms. The letter also notes that Valley View is monitoring updates from the CDC, World Health Organization and local and regional health professionals.

Staff writer Jeff Horseman contributed to this report.

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