Eight of Illinois' 10 casinos are operating under reduced daily hours and new capacity limits amid rising COVID-19 positivity rates in most state regions.

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COVID-19 puts new Illinois casino licenses on hold The Illinois Gaming Board is mulling proposals for four new casinos earmarked for Waukegan, the south suburbs, Rockford and downstate Williamson County. By Mitchell Armentrout October 29, 2020. Casinos and other gambling facilities around Illinois will be among the indoor entertainment venues required to close doors beginning Friday, November 20, under a slew of new orders and restrictions announced by Gov. Pritzker on Tuesday. The Illinois casino closures order follows a rising trend across the US. Under Pennsylvania’s new ‘Safer at Home’ measures, Rivers Casino Philadelphia and the South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook facility will shutter from November 20 until at least January 1, 2021.

The new Illinois Gaming Board rules, the latest of which took effect this week at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, mean most casinos are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and capacity is limited to 25%. That's down from the 50% limit established in July, when gambling houses were allowed to reopen after being closed 3½ months at the onset of the pandemic.

Indoor food and beverage service is suspended, but outdoor service, curbside and carryout are permitted under the state's rules. For instance, at Rivers, Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House and the new BetRivers Sportsbook are serving food on outdoor heated patios.

The latest restrictions were triggered by positivity rates averaging at least 8% for three consecutive days in most regions of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan. The new rules, for now, apply to all casinos in the state except Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria and Jumer's Casino in Rock Island, which are in Region 2.

The same rules apply at many of the 36,000 video gambling machines in bars and restaurants statewide, which can remain open for betting from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., though food and beverage can't be ordered.

Mask wearing, social distancing and sanitation measures still apply at casinos and video gambling terminals as they did this summer, state regulators say.

'I want to thank our industry licensees at casinos, video gaming locations and our terminal operators for their efforts to comply with COVID-19 mitigation efforts and to take reasonable and common-sense steps to keep themselves, their employees and their patrons safe during this very challenging time,' Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter said during a special board meeting Thursday. 'Needless to say, failure to comply with these common sense restrictions could result in serious health consequences for everybody and further contribute to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the state that could put the health and continued operation of our industry in jeopardy.'

Failure to comply, Fruchter added, could subject licensees to discipline, up to and including revocation.

The rules could be relaxed, officials said, if a region's positivity rate averages 6.5% or less over a two-week period.

Also Thursday, Fruchter announced at least a six-month delay in the awarding of new casino licenses in Waukegan, the South suburbs, Rockford and downstate Williamson County.

The original deadline was Wednesday -- a year after applications were submitted -- but Fruchter attributed the delay to pandemic-related difficulties his staff members encountered during their routine review and investigation process. That included problems making site visits, conducting interviews and obtaining tax documents and other records from local, state and federal agencies, he said.

The vetting process continues, he said.

'Like all governmental agencies and private businesses, the board's work has been impacted by COVID-19,' Fruchter said. 'This is not an excuse or a crutch. It is simply a recognition of the realities that work and life are different in a global pandemic.'

Cash and dice sit on a craps table at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Friday, July 16, 2010. Three casinos in Eastern Pennsylvania, including the Sands, added live game tables to their casino floors this week in an effort to attract more gamblers from New Jersey. Photographer: Bradley C. Bower/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Under new Tier 3 restrictions implemented in the state of Illinois beginning Friday, casinos and several other cultural institutions, including museums, will be required to close their doors amid a surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

According to the new restrictions, laid out by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health Tuesday, all gaming facilities and casinos will be required to close their doors beginning on Friday.

Indoor recreation centers will also be required to close. Movie theaters, performing arts theaters and indoor museums will also be required to close beginning Friday, according to the governor.

Facilities that can offer outdoor recreational activities will be allowed to remain open for that purpose, but occupancy of those facilities will be limited to 25% under new guidelines issued by Pritzker and the IDPH.

The restrictions come as the state tries to contain a rapid increase in the spread of coronavirus, with more than 12,000 new cases reported Tuesday alone. The state is also seeing a dramatic spike in the number of hospitalizations related to the virus, with IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike saying that several hospitals in several portions of the state are reporting that they are out of hospital beds to treat coronavirus patients.

In addition to facility closures, other businesses will also have new restrictions put into place, including occupancy limits and a variety of other rules. Bars and restaurants will still be closed to indoor service, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to just six people, according to the new rules.

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Gatherings at hotels and other meeting places will also be prohibited under the new guidelines, which you can find here.