COVID-19 has turned the gambling world upside down in many respects. First, it convinced many regulatory bodies to shut down land-based casinos for a while.

Now, the coronavirus has caused the same regulators to impose social distancing standards on casinos. The latter must use various measures to minimize the chances of gamblers contracting COVID-19.

These measures include:

Land-based casino gambling definitely isnt the same as it was before the coronavirus. However, most games are still running.

Two of the only exceptions, though, include craps and roulette. Casinos in many jurisdictions arent allowed to run either of these games.

Why have roulette and craps got the axe during the pandemic? You can find out below as I cover the basic nature of these games along with why theyre not perfectly suited for the COVID-19 era.

Playing craps for real money is one of the most exciting activities in the casino. Players typically like betting on the shooter winning, which means that they all wager in a similar fashion.

In turn, these gamblers cheer together when the shooter is successful. This scenario creates a team-like atmosphere.

Some gamblers even high five each other during a hot streak. Theyre so excited about their good fortunes that theyre willing to fist bumps strangers.

Another noteworthy aspect of craps is the dice. Each gambler gets an opportunity to act as the shooter.

Most players accept their turn as the shooter. After all, who doesnt want to roll the dice in an effort to help everybody win!?

Of course, different gamblers touching the dice isnt desirable during the pandemic. Neither is touching hands when celebrating wins.

A roulette round starts with gamblers placing chips on the desired betting spaces. If somebody wants to wager on the number 15, for example, theyll lay their chips on the 15 spot.

The roulette table is only so big. Therefore, players sometimes lean over each other in order to make wagers. Gamblers have limited time to place their bets too. Once the dealer yells no more bets, no one is allowed place any more chips down.

This urgency, combined with a relatively small betting board, means that players tend to come into contact with each other.

Once the betting round is over, gamblers watch the spinning wheel in anticipation. They normally dont high five strangers like in craps, but they might do so with any friends at the table.

You may already have an impression on why roulette and craps arent great options with the coronavirus floating around. But Id still like to provide more in-depth analysis on why these games are shut down below.

Craps and roulette are two of the most-popular gambling games. Depending upon the specific night, they may entertain over a dozen gamblers at once.

These crowds definitely amp up the excitement when youre playing. However, they also increase the likelihood of germs being spread.

Of course, casinos could institute a social distancing policy for these tables. It would be much tougher for gambling establishments to enforce these policies, though, with craps and roulette.

These games arent like slot machines, where players are stationary the entire time. Instead, they call on players to stand and move around at different points.

Both of these games see gamblers touch each other in different manners. For craps, players mingle when celebrating a shooters hot streak.

In roulette, people come in contact when placing their chips on the table. They sometimes wait until the wheel begins spinning and put chips down in a hurried manner.

Most casino games dont require players to touch each other at all. For example, youre unlikely to see baccarat or blackjack players first bump each other after wins. Therefore, the majority of games are considered acceptable during the pandemic.

Craps is easily one of the most-social casino games. It sees gamblers cheer together and place the same type of bets.

Roulette may not be as vibrant as the craps table. Nevertheless, it still features plenty of conversation between gamblers due to the close proximity.

As the term social distancing suggest, though, social games arent entirely desirable right now. They have a greater tendency to spread the coronavirus.

Craps games only use one set of dice. Therefore, gamblers pass the dice down the table whenever its a new shooters turn.

Unless theyre germaphobes, most people dont pay a second thought to handing dice around. However, passing the cubes carries much more significance these days.

Of course, casinos could easily have their employees clean dice off after every turn. But this would require workers to clean yet one another thing in the casino.

Casinos arent thrilled that they must cut out two of their most-popular games. That said, the gaming industry is wondering when theyll get to offer craps and roulette again.

As of now, nobody really knows when these games are fully coming back. Gaming regulatory bodies are largely left to make this decision.

They could hurry and rush roulette and craps back. This move would allow casinos to begin capitalizing on these games as soon as possible.

The downside for gamblers, though, is that the odds of getting COVID-19 increase if the gaming world re-introduces these games. Then, any regulatory body that approved craps and roulette would take serious negative press.

Casinos probably wont be allowed to offer these games until the coronavirus is a much smaller threat. Until then, theyll remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Chances are, you arent able to play roulette or craps in your local casino. Luckily, though, you do have the following options for enjoying these games.

Internet casinos have been COVID-resistant. They offer all of their games in cyberspace and dont require players to physically visit.

Of course, online roulette and craps dont quite compare to the real deals in terms of atmosphere. Land-based casinos offer a more-exciting environment.

Nevertheless, gaming sites at least present a valid way to play online craps and roulette. They offer high-quality games that can be played for stakes as low as $1.

Not everybody is a fan of playing online craps and roulette. Theyd rather enjoy something closer to the real experience rather than virtual versions.

Heres where live dealer casinos come into the fold. A live gaming site features a real dealer and table. The only difference is that youre viewing this authentic experience through your smartphone or computer.

If you dont want to risk catching COVID-19, yet still desire the land-based casino feeling, then live casinos are the answer. Almost every live gaming site offers roulette.

Unfortunately, no live dealer outfits feature craps at this time. Assuming youre mostly in the mood for roulette, though, then this aspect wont bother you.

Most brick-and-mortar casinos have reopened across the world. As discussed before, though, many are operating at limited capacity and with several restrictions in place.

If you dont want to be forced to wear a mask and sit six feet apart from everybody, you might consider visiting a destination with lighter restrictions.

The majority of countries are quite strict about wearing mask and keeping your distance. But youll find more-lax casinos in certain nations (e.g. Sweden).

Im not suggesting to increase your risk of getting the coronavirus. However, casinos that ignore safeguards make it feel like youre gambling in the pre-COVID days.

Casinos didnt suddenly fall out of love with craps and roulette. Instead, theyve been forced to shelve these games due to their social natures.

Both roulette and craps see players touch each other when placing bets and/or celebrating wins. Gamblers dont normally mind bumping into other players, but theyre not particularly fond of doing so now.

Rather than make a monumental effort to separate craps and roulette players, casinos have simply shut these games down. In some cases, theyve been required to do so by local gambling jurisdictions.

If youre somebody who loves roulette and/or craps, you can still enjoy these games online. You may need to get used to playing online until casino jurisdictions finally roll out the craps and roulette tables again.

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How COVID-19 Affected Craps and Roulette - Coronavirus and Casinos - BestUSCasinos.org