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One of the region's largest casinos has now set a date to turn the slots back on.
Spirit Mountain, located about 70 miles southwest of Portland in Grand Ronde, welcomes back customers starting Monday, June 1. The property temporarily shuttered March 18 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Since then, the casino's more than 1,100 employees have been given 400 hours of paid time off along with health insurance.
As with other area casinos, including Lincoln City's Chinook Winds and Ilani in Ridgefield, Wash., gamblers will see new safety measures in place—similar to what WW found when it visited the state's first reopened gaming facility, Mill Casino in North Bend, this week.
Hours will be reduced to allow regular deep cleaning of the site—so you cannot place your bets 24/7, but the curfews are generous: Spirit Mountain will close at 2 am Sunday through Thursday and 4 am Friday and Saturday.
Additionally, no one under the age of 21 will be allowed anywhere on the property during the initial reopening period. Face coverings are required at all table games and strongly encouraged for visitors throughout the rest of the property. Temperature checks will take place at the entrances.
And say goodbye to the buffet for now. The self-serve Cedar Plank eatery will now offer a three-course plated meal, and expect to see about half the seating in all restaurants, with parties limited to four.
As popular casinos across Oregon and Washington prep to reopen WW visited the state's first reopened gaming facility, Mill Casino in North Bend. There, blackjack tables were shut down, plastic glass barriers were installed between the slot machines, and a masked employee took gamblers' temperatures at the door, using an infrared thermometer mounted on a tripod.
Related: Casinos in Oregon and Washington Outline Plans for Reopening