Verona, N. Y. -- “I’ve been cooped up.” “I was homebound too long.” “I was bored out of my mind.” 'I’m ready to play.”

Turning Stone Casino, Exit 33: Lava, The Gig, Tin Rooster tickets and upcoming 2020 event schedule. Find details for Turning Stone Casino, Exit 33: Lava, The Gig, Tin Rooster in Verona, NY, including venue info and seating charts. Conveniently located 30 miles east of Syracuse at NYS Thruway Exit 33, Turning Stone was named Best Countryside Hotel/Lodge in 2019 by Conde Nast. Turquoise Tiger Lounge & Cocktail Bar Turning Stone.

That’s how people explained their decision to join the line waiting to get into the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona when it reopened for business at 8 a.m. today.

“I’m very tired of staying at home,” said Nanette Manning of Syracuse, one of the first to enter the casino in Verona. “It’s something to do.”

Some put an even more positive spin on it.

“This place is like heaven to me,” said Anne Yacco of North Utica, who arrived at 3 a.m. and was first in line at one of the casino entrances. “And I’d been locked out of heaven.”

Turning Stone, along with fellow Oneida Nation-owned casinos Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango and Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, opened today after shutting down since mid-March due to the coronavirus.

With a range of safety protocols and restrictions in place, the three casinos welcomed guests to the gaming floors, sports books, a few restaurants, the spa, the hotel, two golf courses and other amenities.

Some venues remain closed for now, including entertainment showrooms and nightclubs.

Everyone entering today wore masks, while hand sanitizers were plentiful and some furnishings were spread out for social distancing. (See full protocols below).

“We’re very excited to see people here as we head down the road to getting back to normal,” said Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter, who wore a mask while personally greeting some of the first guests at Turning Stone’s main entrance.

While the state’s non-Indian casinos and gaming halls likely can’t reopen until at least the end of June or early July, the Oneidas and other Indian nations are moving more quickly.

The Cayuga Nation was first, opening its Lakeside Gaming facility in Union Springs on May 15. The Oneidas followed today, and the Seneca Nation this week announced its plans to reopen its casinos and gaming halls in Western New York starting on June 18.

Although they operate under legal agreements called compacts with the state, the Indian nation casinos are not strictly bound by the state’s orders concerning what can open or remain closed during the pandemic. The Oneidas and Cayugas have each noted that they closed their gaming facilities “voluntarily” in March.

The reopening has allowed the Oneidas to bring back about 90% of their 4,500 employees, Habritter said. The nation, one of the largest employers in the region, had the blessing of leaders in both Oneida County, where Turning Stone is located, and Madison County, home to Point Place and Yellow Brick, for the reopening.

The Oneidas sent their detailed safety plan to leaders in both counties before announcing the reopening.

The safety protocols started with a restriction limiting entry to those who live in New York state within 120 miles of the casinos. That essentially allows visitors from Rochester to Albany, or Watertown to Binghamton.

Casino staff checked IDs, and made sure visitors had their pictures taken by surveillance cameras in case there’s a need for “contact tracing.”

Today’s early players distanced themselves at the available slot machines and game tables. Staff at restaurants like The Emerald and The Upstate Tavern prepared to follow guidelines similar to those state officials outlined this week for the potential reopening of indoor dining rooms in Central New York as early as Friday.

That includes limiting the number of people inside. Turning Stone is limiting the number of people at a restaurant table to four, while the state’s plans call for no more than 10 to a party.

The current restrictions didn’t bother Vinnie Dove, who drove in from Elmira this morning. Before the coronavirus, he came to Turning Stone two or three times a month for bingo.

“Do I want to wear a mask?” he said. “Not really. But you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m just so happy to be here.”

George Buchanan, a Utica radio disc jockey who goes by the name DJ Butter, was also enthusiastic.

“This is our avenue for relaxation,” he said. “After being locked down for 90 days, it’s great to be here.”

The Oneidas plan to ramp up the remaining areas of the casinos in phases assuming the pandemic subsides. At Turning Stone, the Exit 33 venues like the LAVA nightclub and the Tin Rooster and Turquoise Tiger lounges remain closed. Exit 33 for now is used as the screening area for employees.

The Turning Stone showroom and event center are also currently closed.

Here’s the Oneida Nation’s list of safety protocols for the current phase of their reopening.

Limit access to guests who travel from within 120 miles within New York with valid New York State issued driver’s license or non-driver ID.

All employees are required to have daily screenings, including temperature checks. Employees who handle commonly touched items with guests are required to wear gloves, including in all restaurants, at registration desks and on the gaming floors.

Guest and employee entry and ID verification protocols that allow for contact tracing, if necessary.

Mandatory face coverings for all employees and guests, as a condition of entry, even in administrative areas.

Occupancy limits and distancing in all restaurants, lounges and smoking areas.

Enhanced cleaning measures include new technology that alerts guests with an on-screen notification of the exact time the slot machine was last sanitized. The new Automated Game Sanitization system also notifies the casino cleaning staff when a guest finishes playing on a machine so the slot machine can be cleaned.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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Turning Stone Resort Casino
Location in central New York
Location	Verona, New York
Address	5218 Patrick Road
Opening date	July 16, 1993; 27 years ago
No. of rooms	709 (across four hotels)^[1]
Total gaming space	125,000 square foot Las Vegas-style gaming floor
Signature attractions	PGA-quality golf course, spa, showroom, and 5,000-seat arena
Notable restaurants	TS Steakhouse, Tin Rooster
Casino type	Land-based
Owner	Oneida Indian Nation
Renovated in	1997 (addition of hotel) 2004 (second hotel tower) 2010-2012 (renovation of existing hotel building)
Coordinates	43°06′54″N75°35′20″W / 43.115°N 75.589°W
Website	turningstone.com

Turning Stone Resort Casino is a resort owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) in Verona, New York.

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