Mystic Lake, Little Six casinos to reopen next week
PRIOR LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Mystic Lake and Little Six casinos in Prior Lake, Minnesota will be reopening next week, according to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community leaders.
The casinos closed on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The casinos will begin a phased reopening on May 26 at 10 a.m., starting with just slot machines and table games. In order to achieve social distancing, chairs have been removed from every other slot machine and half of the chairs have been removed from the table games and bars. A maximum of three guests are allowed at the blackjack tables.
“Our tribal members, team members and guests depend on us to make decisions with their wellbeing in mind, and we have not taken this responsibility lightly as we carefully deliberated these decisions over the past several weeks,” said Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman Keith Anderson in a press release.
Other safety measures include plexiglass barriers in some areas, door counts to limit the amount of guests on the gaming floor, a mask requirement for staff and visitors, and disinfecting machines throughout the day. Workers will also undergo thermal temperature scanning at all entrances.
The buffet, other sit-down restaurants, the spa and pool will remain closed. Large-scale gatherings will not be held in the early stages of phased reopening. Concerts and other shows have been postponed. Once the demand for hotel rooms increases, the hotel will also take a phased approach to reopening.
In Granite Falls, Prairie's Edge Casino Resort reopened Monday with similar precautions in place, such as limiting capacity and plexiglass between slot machines. However, Prairie's Edge is not bringing back table games, like blackjack and poker, just yet. Instead, guests can play the video versions of these games.