SYCUAN Casino Announce Agressive Health and Sanitation program

SYCUAN one of the last tribal casinos to close their doors due to coronavirus announces their new health/sanitation project prior to reopening.


Sycuan Casino Resort announced today that the organization has created and implemented an extensive and aggressive health and sanitation program to safeguard guests, team members and the surrounding community. The new program outlines several new initiatives throughout the property to ensure a safe and healthy environment upon reopening.

“Our new health and sanitation program is extremely important to Sycuan, because it demonstrates our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our guests, team members and community as a whole,” said Cody J. Martinez, chairman, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. “We are taking all of these new safety measures very seriously and will continue to improve and implement processes as needed for our reopening. We want everyone to feel confident that we’re doing all we can to safeguard their health while they stay and play at Sycuan Casino Resort.”

One of the major initiatives in the new program includes an exciting partnership with San Diego-based company, TruClean to apply its self-cleaning antimicrobial surface coating throughout Sycuan Casino Resort and Sycuan Market and gas station to create a safer experience for guests. TruClean’s surface-bonding “sword-like” coating is registered internationally as long-term disinfectant that destroys bacteria and viruses on contact. Countries including South Korea, Singapore, China, Brazil and South Africa are actively using this surface coating technology and this antimicrobial coating is an EPA registered treated article that inhibits the growth of microorganisms with a single application for up to a year.


TruClean’s invisible, non-toxic coating has been applied throughout the property, including restaurants and bars, gaming machines and tables, back of house service and team member areas, kitchens, shuttle busses, restrooms, handrails, escalators, elevators, buttons, chairs, dining tables, countertops, ATM’s, POS systems, gas pumps, flooring, windows, doors and many more high-contact touch points. Sycuan will also be implementing new sanitation protocols using TruClean’s self-apply product, TruClean 90, as part of its aggressive health and sanitation program.

Additionally, Sycuan’s team will begin using thermal cameras for temperature detection for both guests and team members. All guests and team members are required to wear a face covering, and points of entry into the property will be limited to allow Sycuan’s security team to conduct a non-invasive temperature check. Team members or guests confirmed to have a temperature over 100.0°F will not be allowed entry to the property and will be asked to seek evaluation from their health care provider.

Guests will be directed to practice physical distancing with floor decals to display standing at least six feet away from people they have not traveled with while standing in lines, using elevators or moving around the property. Sycuan has also installed plexiglass shields in close contact areas, such as casino cashiers, restaurant cashiers, Club Sycuan Desks, VIP host stations and hotel check-in.

Several additional safety and hygiene signage have been posted throughout the property outlining the proper way to wear, handle and dispose of masks, as well as reminders of proper health and hygiene practices in both front of house and back of house areas. Additional hand sanitizing stations have also been installed in driveways, reception areas, the casino floor, restaurants, elevator landings areas and more.

Table games will be limited to a max of three players per table, every other slot machine will be turned off for a safer distance between players and all slots and tables will be cleaned frequently.

Team members will be required and provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear during their shifts and will be trained extensively on new health and sanitation protocols. Teams with frequent guest contact will be given more comprehensive training on how to do so in a manner that protects not only the guest, but themselves. Additional time clocks have been installed and spread out throughout the property and team member schedules will be staggered throughout the day to reduce crowding in back-of-house areas. Directional signage has also been installed in back-of-house areas to control the flow of traffic to ensure that team members maintain physical distancing.

If a team member or guest is noticed exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19 while at Sycuan, a security officer or manager will be notified and the team member or guest will be asked to leave the property and seek evaluation from their health care provider.

Sycuan’s health and sanitation program has been reviewed and approved by the Sycuan Gaming Commission (SGC), the agency charged by law as the primary regulator for the tribe’s gaming operation and ensuring the health and safety of patrons and team members. The SGC reviewed and incorporated into their pre-opening checklist guidance from the NIGC, EPA, OSHA; the White House gating criteria and related recommendations from CDC, the California Governor’s office, California Department of Public Health, San Diego County Public Health Department; requirements of the tribal/state compact; as well as various other industry standards and best practices. In all, the casino management team were expected to comply with over 700 individual compliance measurers before certification.