Operator News
Germany – Merkur Spielbank Magdeburg becomes first casino in Germany to reopen
By Phil - 21 May 2021
With an extensive hygiene and safety concept tested by the health department, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has approved the reopening of the Merkur Spielbank Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt on May 21, making it the first casino in Germany to reopen. The reopening trial is initially set to run for four weeks.
“We are very pleased that our application has been approved and can hardly wait to be able to receive guests again at the Magdeburg casino after almost seven months of lockdown,” said Knuth Achilles, director of Merkur Spielbanken Sachsen-Anhalt. He described the cooperation with the city of Magdeburg particularly positively, which processed the application for the model project quickly and easily. “We are very grateful for the good cooperation. This enables us to reopen at such short notice,” he added
The prerequisite for the start of new ‘model projects’ or the continuation of previous ones is a seven-day incidence of less than 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in the respective municipality. Among other things, the casino must guarantee complete testing of all guests and digital contact tracking as well as support a qualified evaluation of the project’s findings. Model projects can help to test the feasibility of opening steps, testing hygiene rules and the success of contact traceability, and to pave the way to a responsible life with the virus.
For the approval of the project, the existing hygiene and safety concept was revised and optimized again.
“The protection of our employees and our guests is our top priority. The expanded concept is intended to help ensure that everyone involved can feel safe with us,” explained Mr. Achilles.
The health department accepted the extensive concept, which enabled the city of Magdeburg to apply to the Ministry of Economic Affairs to open the casino. The permit is granted for four weeks of operation. In the event that the incidence value cumulatively exceeds 100 per 100,000 inhabitants on 5 consecutive days during the course of the project, the project will be terminated when the so-called federal emergency brake comes into effect.
