LAS VEGAS — The casino coronavirus closure has ended. Cards are being dealt, dice are rolling and slot machines flashed and jingled for the first customers who started gambling again early Thursday in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada.

Hotel-casinos in downtown and suburban Las Vegas were the first to open at 12:01 a.m., followed later in the morning by a restart of the iconic Bellagio fountain and several resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

Downtown casino owner Derek Stevens says the past few months have been an “unprecedented challenge” but the industry is excited to get employees back to work and welcome guests again.

Several dozen people were waiting in line outside Stevens’ downtown casino-hotel The D just before midnight. When the doors opened, guests had their temperatures checked and inside dealers wore face masks or shields.