As yet another sign of the return to regional normalcy in the fading COVID-19 healthcare crisis, Valley Forge Casino Resort has returned to 24-hour slots play.

The move at the King of Prussia gaming location started Fri., Jan. 20, at midnight — former closing time for one-armed bandits.

The change was announced by Cashman & Associates, the destination marketing organization with offices in Philadelphia and Glenside.

“The move … speaks to the health of the gaming and hospitality industry as a whole,” the statement read.

Nationally, the COVID-19 pandemic was harsh on brick-and-mortar casinos, according to a 2021 article by Market Business News.

Tight aisles amid slots, table games, cashiers, and food-beverage servicers made distancing difficult. And for destinations like Las Vegas, travel restrictions were further impediments.

As a result, Nevada alone saw its March 2020 revenue down about 40 percent, reported Yahoo Finance.

An industry upside, however, emerged in online casinos.

Again Yahoo Finance reported that 2019 gamblers were frequented by 62 percent of online gamblers; a year later, usage was at 78 percent.

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This BBC report shows an overseas gambler who passed his pandemic time by creating and using his own homemade slot machine.