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All Bets Are off as Sin City Casinos Shut Down in Fear of COVID-19
By Jeff Osienya Mar 18, 2020 IndustryMGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts announce the closure of their hotels and casinos as the Coronavirus wave prevails. East Coast casinos have also followed suit with indefinite closure of their casinos.The ripple of panic that the Coronavirus has been causing appears to be getting worse. After leading to a 2-week shutdown in Macau in mid-February, casinos in the United States are now falling victim to COVID-19 related closures. While casinos had tried stepping up their sanitization protocols to fend off the virus, the increase in infections has proven that the efforts just aren't good enough.
Nevada's Largest Employer Suspends Operations
On Sunday, MGM Resorts announced a temporary suspension of all their Las Vegas properties, effective Tuesday, March 17th, until further notice. This move came after Luxor, one of MGM's properties, confirmed that one of their employees tested positive of the Coronavirus. This added to one of 8 new infections in Clark county, bringing the total to 16 cases.
As a result, all 14 Sin City hotels and casinos under the MGM brand will stop operating. Even worse, a companywide MGM letter also warned of widespread layoffs coming soon given that business has been tumbling thanks to empty hotel rooms, casinos and restaurants.
Wynn Resorts also heeded the CDC recommendation of cancelling all gatherings with 50 plus people by announcing the transitory closure of their two Sin City properties starting March 17th. Unlike MGM however, Wynn indicated that their shutdown would last for two weeks after which the company's management will re-evaluate the situation.
Yet, in the face of the Coronavirus threat, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman criticized the MGM Resorts leadership for shutting down everything out of panic. Even with the severity of the circumstances, she called the directive completely wrong, a comment that's received a lot of backlash.
East Coast Casinos Haven't Been Spared by the Virus Either
Likewise, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut governors jointly ordered all casinos in their respective states to close down until further notice to combat the Coronavirus. Out of 40 casinos in the tri-state area, the tribal casinos are the ones that aren't affected by the orders.
While the decision to shut down casinos will create a massive dent in revenue, some resorts have already started to close down. These are; Empire City in Yonkers, which was acquired last year by MGM Resorts, Genting's Resorts, Rivers Casino in Schenectady, New York and Aqueduct Race Track in Queens.
Even though 14 days temporary closure is what's being recommended by the World Health Organization, officials indicated that the closure would stay put for an indefinite duration until things cool down. Nevertheless, there's a silver lining for New Jersey gamblers because interactive gambling was authorized in the state a few years ago. Online gambling will, therefore, save the day in The Garden State.
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