Texans: If you feel like gambling, don’t plan to head to WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

WinStar Casino, All Chickasaw Nation Casinos in Oklahoma, Reopening May 27. Posted on: May 26, 2020, 09:15h. Last updated on: May 26, 2020, 12:19h. This Social Casino website is hosted in Oklahoma and is a free-to-play website with no real money online gaming supported. WinStar World Casino and Resort 777 Casino Ave, Thackerville, OK 73459 1-800-622-6317. In this July 23, 2019 file photo, players play at poker tables in the casino at the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File Oklahoma's Indian casinos remain open with heightened sanitary precautions, but some entertainers have announced they are postponing appearances amid growing concern about COVID-19. BORDER CASINO IS OPEN! Learn more about important COVID-19 updates. The place to play 24 hours a day. When you’re ready to win, Border Casino is the place to play. Conveniently located off Exit 1 of I-35 near the Oklahoma/Texas border, Border Casino is now home to more than 2,300 electronic games across 88,000 square feet of brand-new gaming. WinStar World Casino and Resort, Border Casino and all other gaming facilities owned by the Chickasaw Nation will open at 25% of capacity at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 27, Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby announced Friday, May 22, in a press release.

If you do, you’ll just find it closed.

The casino announced that it will close at midnight Monday until March 31.

But the WinStar World Casino Hotel will remain open, according to an online statement.

“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at WinStar World Casino and Resort, we have determined it is in the best interest of our patrons and employees to temporarily close the casino, all retail stores and all casino restaurants ... to slow the transmission of this virus,” according to a statement posted online Monday afternoon.

Casino officials said Fun Town RV Park at WinStar, WinStar Golf Club and WinStar Golf Academy will stay open. And they said the Legends Bar and Grill will stay open, but service will be limited to 50 guests at a time.

“Thank you very much for your loyalty and your understanding as we navigate this difficult time,” the casino posted.

WinStar already postponed several concerts and performances, including Brad Paisley until Aug. 29 and Adam Sandler to a date yet to be determined.

This comes after several casinos in Las Vegas temporarily closed their doors, also to try to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Choctaw Casinos & Resorts in Oklahoma, meanwhile, rescheduled a Carrie Underwood concert for Sept. 11 but, as of Monday afternoon, was keeping the casino open, according to a message posted online.

The Choctaw message said officials are reminding employees about washing their hands and are cleaning and are increasing the number of times each day they disinfect casino surfaces from slot machines to table games.

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byRandy Ellis

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Oklahoma's Indian casinos remain open with heightened sanitary precautions, but some entertainers have announced they are postponing appearances amid growing concern about COVID-19.

At Norman's Riverwind Casino, Willie Nelson & Family, One Two Ten, SquadLive, Jay Leno and Midas 13 have all announced postponements of their scheduled March appearances.

Willie Nelson also announced he is postponing his scheduled Sunday performance at Tulsa's River Spirit Casino. Other entertainers who will be postponing March performances at that venue include Trevor Noah and Candlebox. Noah was originally scheduled to perform Friday but has rescheduled for July 31. New dates have not been announced yet for the other performances.

At Shawnee's Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, a Craig Morgan concert originally scheduled for Friday has been reset for May 15, and WinStar Casino in Thackerville has announced that Pitbull, Brad Paisley and Adam Sandler have postponed their scheduled March appearances.

This is just a partial list of casino performance postponements and the situation remains fluid, so anyone with tickets to a concert at an Oklahoma Indian casino this month is encouraged to check ahead to make sure the event is still on.

Although a number of concerts have been postponed, Sheila Morago of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said she is not aware of any tribes that have closed their casinos because of the virus.

'While there is a rapid worldwide spread of COVID-19, the risk of infection in Oklahoma appears presently low. That status allows the Chickasaw Nation and others around the state to take appropriate preventive measures to avoid and/or reduce the spread of this infection,' said Bill Anoatubby, governor of the Chickasaw Nation.

'Our health professionals are continuously evaluating the changing dynamics of the situation to determine which actions may be needed to help protect the health of our citizens and our neighbors. We encourage Chickasaw citizens and all people around the state to make informed, conscious decisions regarding their own health and safety, and, be considerate of those people around them.”

Several gaming tribes have posted information on their websites outlining special measures they have taken to try to keep their patrons safe.

Shawnee's Citizen Potawatomi Nation, for example, said it has:

• Increased deep cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, including video gaming machines, chair backs, door handles. The tribe said it also has authorized additional shifts to ensure continual cleanliness.

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• Placed additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the casino floor and increased refill supplies.

• Implemented extra cleaning cycles for gaming chips and cycling of playing cards.'We are also taking steps to ensure the welfare of our employees,' the tribe said. 'This includes instructing employees who feel ill to stay home and consult their healthcare providers. We are also urging all employees to be extra vigilant about frequent, extended hand washing.'

An email was sent out to patrons of WinStar, Riverwind and other Chickasaw Nation properties informing them that the casinos were closely adhering to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The email outlined a number of steps those casinos have taken, including significantly enhancing their cleaning and disinfecting procedures, particularly in the heavy traffic areas.

'Additionally, our facilities undergo thorough cleaning daily to protect against transmission of communicable disease, including the coronavirus,' the email said.

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For the past 30 years, staff writer Randy Ellis has exposed public corruption and government mismanagement in news articles. Ellis has investigated problems in Oklahoma's higher education institutions and wrote stories that ultimately led to two... Read more ›