Wind Creek Casino Allentown Pa
A new age of casino gambling in the Lehigh Valley will get its start next Monday when Wind Creek Bethlehem reopens for the first time in more than three months.
Bethlehem, PA 18015 Kids Quest at Wind Creek Bethlehem 77 Sands Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18015 Mount Airy Casino 312 Woodland Rd, Mount Pocono, PA 18344 Parx Casino 2999 Street Rd, Bensalem, PA 19020 Valley Forge Casino Resort 1160 1st Ave. Wind Creek Bethlehem will no longer be escorting minors across the casino floor. Minors are still welcome to dine at The Market if they enter through The Outlets or hotel.
Wind Creek, which closed to the public March 15 to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, made the announcement Monday. The news comes days after the Lehigh Valley learned it would enter the green phase of the state’s reopening plan Friday, a phase that permits casinos to open at 50% occupancy.
As of midday Monday, six of the state’s casinos are open, after Mohegan Sun Pocono in Luzerne County and Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County reopened.
Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino
During the pandemic, Wind Creek Bethlehem was able to pay its roughly 2,400 employees through the end of May but furloughed 2,095 of them June 1, as the downturn entered its third month. Wind Creek Hospitality President and CEO Jay Dorris told The Morning Call this month that the casino hopes to bring all employees back as operations ramp back up.
With the potential shift in consumer preferences following this pandemic, however, Dorris said Wind Creek was tapping the brakes on a $250 million plan to transform the crumbling Bethlehem Steel No. 2 Machine Shop into an indoor water park and entertainment complex.
But Wind Creek still wants to break ground by late summer on its $100 million hotel expansion, a project that could take 14-16 months to complete.
While a reopening date did not become clear until Monday, Wind Creek had kept patrons informed of what to expect when the casino did open again. That included plans for small groups of invited guests to start, followed days later by a reopening to the public at a reduced capacity.
As one of the Lehigh Valley’s largest employers, the casino also had some of its employees test positive for COVID-19. That included Jonathan Shen, a 31-year-old table games supervisor at the casino who died April 22 following a four-week battle with COVID-19.
During an interview June 12, Dorris declined to disclose the number of employee cases but noted the casino had the situation arise and tried to be proactive in giving employees the necessary leave to get treated and recover. He said Wind Creek was following all guidance, including notifying those who were in close contact with someone who tested positive.
“We’ve had to deal with it, and we’re going to be dealing with that for some time now going forward,” he said.
Morning Call reporter Jon Harris can be reached at 610-820-6779 or at jon.harris@mcall.com.
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Wind Creek Bethlehem Pa
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