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Mystic Lake and Little Six Casinos to Reopen May 26

Masks required for all guests and employees; physical distancing enforced.

PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – May 18, 2020 ­– The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community today announced plans to reopen its Mystic Lake and Little Six casinos on Tuesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. The facilities have been closed since March 18 as a precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic. A phased approach to reopening with enhanced protocols has been established to ensure the health and safety of team members and guests.

 

Building occupancy limits have been recalculated to accommodate physical distancing and will be enforced at both casinos when they reopen. The number of guests on the gaming floor will be monitored through door counts and surveillance to maintain physical distancing standards, and admittance will not be allowed if facilities have reached capacity. All guests and team members will be required to wear masks. In addition, the health of team members will be carefully monitored, and noninvasive thermal temperature scanning of guests will be conducted at entrances. Team members and guests exhibiting signs of illness will be required to leave.

 

“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. “Our tribe has many enterprises, some of which have reopened already, including The Meadows at Mystic Lake, the Organics Recycling Facility, and the ice rinks at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. We have learned how to make the proper modifications to ensure safety and will use what we have learned when reopening Mystic Lake and Little Six.”

 

The Gaming Enterprise’s reopening plan was developed following standards provided by the SMSC’s tribal public health department, CDC, Minnesota Department of Health and National Indian Gaming Commission.

 

“Extensive, careful planning has gone into the health and safety measures that will be in effect when we reopen Mystic Lake and Little Six,” said Angela Heikes, president and CEO of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Gaming Enterprise, which operates Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino. “We are taking a phased approach to this reopening and feel confident that we can welcome guests back to our enterprise and bring team members back to work in an environment that is safe for everyone.”

 

The initial reopening will be limited to slot machines and table games areas. Chairs have been removed from every other slot machine to allow appropriate spacing. Fifty percent of the chairs have also been removed from all table games and bars, with blackjack tables limited to a maximum of three guests per table. Guest and team member interaction points have been reduced and plexiglass barriers have been installed at point-of-sales locations where possible.

 

All public areas, slot machines and tables will be cleaned and sanitized numerous times per day. Guests can also request that slot machines be cleaned at any time by using a service button, and team members will clean slot machines and tables when they see a guest leaving them. Higher touch areas such as restrooms, entry doors and ATMs will be sanitized multiple times per shift and transactional surfaces will be sanitized between uses.

 

Dining options will be limited to pre-packaged items, and the buffet and other sit-down restaurants will remain closed. No large-scale gatherings will be held initially, and concerts and entertainment events have been postponed to later dates. The hotel will reopen in phases as the demand for rooms returns and many hotel amenities like the spa and pool will remain closed along with Mystic Lake Center.

 

The health of team members will be carefully monitored. Upon arrival at the Gaming Enterprise, team members will undergo a health screening prior to starting each shift. Team members will be required to stay home if sick. Symptomatic team members or those with a symptomatic family member at home cannot return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met.

 

More information is available at mysticlake.com/welcomeback.

 

ABOUT MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HOTEL

Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is the premier gaming facility in the Midwest and the largest casino in Minnesota. Mystic Lake® creates original and exciting entertainment experiences for its guests with gaming, distinctive bars and restaurants, indoor and outdoor concert venues, unique special events, and luxurious accommodations, all just 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. In 2018, Mystic Lake opened Mystic Lake Center®, a new event space and hotel tower. Offering state-of-the-art technology, this 70,000-square-foot venue hosts groups of all sizes for conferences, expos, weddings and other events. With 766 new and renovated modern hotel rooms, Mystic Lake is one of the largest hotels in the Twin Cities area

 

Media Inquiries:

  • Madeleine Rush · 651-214-6937 · madeleine@goffpublic.com

2400 MYSTIC LAKE BOULEVARD, PRIOR LAKE, MN 55372 • PHONE 952-445-9000 • FAX 952-496-7199

Owned and Operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

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Sara Swenson
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952.221.5368
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Jennifer Hellman
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