New operating hours
Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, New York is ready to finally offer round-the-clock operations. The casino announced 24/7 services will begin again on Friday, October 22. The casino shut down in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened with reduced operations soon after.
The property continued to operate at a decreased capacity for quite some time. Most recently, Rivers opened at 6am and closed at 2am. The additional four hours of operation will allow the casino to provide more gambling and guest services to visiting patrons.
thrilled to be able to provide the added convenience of more gaming and entertainment hours”
Rick Richard, the general manager for the casino, commented that guests have been asking when 24-hour service will resume. “We’re thrilled to be able to provide the added convenience of more gaming and entertainment hours for our guests,” he said.
Night owls back in action
The change in hours affects several areas of the casino, including the gaming floor. Players can now access the gaming floor 24/7 with continual non-alcoholic beverage service. Full beverage options will be available until 2am from Sunday to Thursday and extended to 4am on Friday and Saturday.
Sports bettors have access to self-service kiosks 24/7 at Rivers Casino. Cashier service at betting windows is open each day, but with restricted hours. Monday to Thursday, bettors can visit the windows from 10am until midnight. Fridays, the betting windows are open from 10am until 1am. On Saturday and Sunday, the windows open one hour earlier, at 9am.
As far as COVID-19 precautions are concerned, fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear masks. Individuals that are not vaccinated or partially vaccinated must wear a face covering.
Poker room reopened in August
Two months ago, Rivers Casino & Resort decided to reopen its poker room, a first since the pandemic started. The poker room was closed for almost a year and a half, shutting down shortly after the lockdowns in March 2020 began.
Poker was one of the last games to get back in action in the United States amidst the pandemic due to the game’s social nature. Sharing poker chips and cards made it difficult to keep the virus from spreading when it was at its peak.
Operators like Rivers were unable to offer services until after regulators dropped COVID-19 restrictions. It wasn’t until June 2020 that casinos removed pandemic restrictions and allowed operators to increase capacity to 100%.
