Iowa’s Prairie Meadows casino reimposes mask mandate

Prairie Meadows casino has reimposed a mask mandate for its guests following new CDC guidelines to slow the spread of Covid-19 cases.

US.- More casinos in the US are applying CDC guidelines for facemasks to be worn again to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Prairie Meadows casino in Altoona reimposed the mask mandate on Sunday as Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations continue to grow in the area. The mandate had been lifted in June when the casino and racetrack reopened.

Last Wednesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance calling for everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission risk.

Prairie Meadows hopes the mask mandate will help avoid a new shutdown.

Iowa casino revenue

According to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, casinos in the state generated gross revenue of $1.57m in the last fiscal year, up by $412m year-on-year. Attendance was up by nearly 900,000.

Racing and gaming administrator Brian Ohorilko said: “The adjusted gross receipts this last fiscal year were our highest to date.

“We have seen record numbers at all of the casinos. Attendance still hasn’t bounced back completely — but the folks that are attending are spending their discretionary income.

“It really has been a very interesting time to be in this industry, no different than other industries. Prior to the pandemic the casino business had been growing slightly — but had fairly stabilized — it was a very predictable market.”