Land casinos, like other businesses, are taking special precautions to help their patrons from becoming sick this flu season, especially H1N1. Since casinos are a very public place and visitors are touching the same items such as craps die and blackjack cards, casinos are taking measures to ensure their patrons are safe as can be. In the state of Iowa more than 20 million patrons visit the casinos and touch the many slot machines, cards and poker chips. To keep people from getting sick the casinos are taking precautions like offering hand sanitizer to keep people from getting sick.
Scott Smith the Assistant General Manager of Diamond Jo casino commented that their casino employees clean the machines each night as well as offer the hand sanitizer at many locations throughout the casino.
Smith also commented: “Everyone has to take precautions, you have a lot of people that are in somewhat close quarters and that’s a lot of people coming from all over.” The staff has also been instructed to not touch their faces while working and to wash their hands often. For example, many visitors would be touching the die at the craps table. The die would move from player to player as well as chips. The dealer must make sure he/she keeps their hands clean to keep from contaminating the casino items.
"We have to try and reassure each and every one of those customers that comes through the door that we are taking those precautions just like everybody else is," said Smith.
2009-11-12
