Australian casino operator The Star Entertainment Group is reopening its flagship Sydney property after securing a new tax deal and a casino monopoly on electronic gaming machines (EGM) in the Sydney market.

On Monday, The Star announced that it had received approval from the state of New South Wales for a ‘restricted opening’ of its eponymous Sydney casino as of 4pm local time. The Star shut its Australian venues in mid-March after the government ordered the closure of all ‘non-essential’ retail operations to minimize further COVID-19 spread.

Initially, attendance at the reopened casino will be limited to “up to 500” members of the casino’s loyalty club on an invitation-only basis. The invitations are apparently only going out to VIPs, as the reopening involves only its “private gaming rooms” and up to 12 food & beverage venues, all of which will be operating under new health and safety restrictions.

The reopening comes as something of a surprise, as the original closure order suggested that all bars, restaurants, clubs and casinos would remain shut for “at least six months.” A few days later, The Star laid off 90% of its staff – around 8,100 individuals – to conserve financial liquidity for what was expected to be a potentially fatal period of inactivity.