How COVID-19 has Hit Casino and Poker Industry?

How often have you heard your friends planning a trip to Las Vegas with a mere objective of enjoying the stay and play at lavish casino establishments of the city? Well, you must be very well aware of the answer. This is the charisma of the modern-day gambling hubs which not only offer an enriching gaming experience but also provide larger-than-life hospitality to its guests. The activity which was played as a source of entertainment, over time became a full-fledged business, pooling hundreds and thousands of dollars yearly. Where some reports suggested that the casino industry will touch the astounding mark of $635 billion in the future, the domain is currently facing a set back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic crisis.

Governments and humanitarian organizations struggled to control the death rate which expanded exponentially specifically due to lack of awareness and medical treatment. To promote social distancing, which was seen as the only potent remedy to the COVID-19 outbreak, the authorities were forced to put complete lockdown. All the major casinos in the U.S., Las Vegas, Nevada, etc. were closed for an indefinite time to ensure the safety of customers and employees.

Impact of COVID-19 in casino industry

The unfortunate lockdown brought the economy to a standstill and impacted all casino and poker entities. Some major implications of the lockdown include:

• The dire situations not only gave a major jolt to the revenue tables but also triggered the rate of unemployment and poverty in regions like Las Vegas where gambling is a chief source of income for many.
• Gambling activities are a major source of tax revenue for governments. The money collected aids the core societal operations like healthcare, the public sector, and others. With the closure of gambling entities, this source of income was stopped causing a significant loss to the country’s economy.
• Local casinos play an important role in supporting restaurants and small shops. By shut stopping the operations of these casinos, the supporting businesses faced hefty losses.
• With the transport and travel industry stopping their services, the casino establishments failed to gather the population as usual. This brought down the hotel as well as retail business for the countries.
• However, due to the closure of land-based casinos, people switched to online platforms offering a wide range of gambling opportunities and rewards to customers. This surged the online gamers’ occupancy in a big way.

Is the reopening of casinos a good idea?

The threat of COVID-19 is still not completely eradicated, though, it won’t be wrong to say that it is now under control to a big extent. As a result, to bring the economy back on track, the governments gave their nod to lift the complete lockdown imposed earlier in a well-planned sequential manner. Casinos and poker rooms were allowed to reopen and resume their services. A majority of leading casino resorts proudly announced the news about them opening doors for their customers while following all the healthcare guidelines prescribed by the authorities. After two months of closure, casinos in the United States, Las Vegas, Indiana, as well as local and tribal casinos in other parts of the world welcomed their guests since the first week of June. The casinos that have kickstarted their gambling activities included BOYD Gaming, Arizona Charlie’s, Area, Wild Horse Pass, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, Jamul Casino, Sycuan Casino Resort, Mohegan Sun, Dover Downs, Delaware Park, Foxwoods Resort, etc.

Precautionary measures taken by casinos post reopening

1. Temperature checks are being conducted at the entrance door of the casinos.
2. Thorough scrutiny about the visitor’s personal details shall be performed during check-in. special attention will be given to the guests coming from highly-infected zones or those who have the illness.
3. The visitors, staff members, and employees are advised to wear masks at all times.
4. Sanitization of the property including swimming pools, hotel rooms, restaurants, doors and windows, casino tables, etc. are being performed at regular intervals of time.
5. Proper arrangements are made to abide by the social distancing rules. Limited occupancy at the tables will be allowed for the players.
6. The decks of cards used in card games shall be changed at timely intervals to avoid any sort of transmission.
7. Pumps dispensing hand sanitizer and employees carrying masks, paper towels, and spray cleaners are set up at every few steps.
8. The casino employees will sterilize the slots machines after each usage by a player.
9. More cashless payments will be supported in casinos.

Are casino visits safe after the pandemic?

Yes, you can visit casinos as they have opened doors for the public. All you have to do is to follow the healthcare guidelines, practice social distancing norms, be alert, and cooperate with the casino staff.

Conclusion

Casinos are playing their big bets by restarting their operations amid the unpredictable situations prevailing worldwide. The casino management must ensure the safety of its visitors and staff. All the renowned casinos around the world are putting in their best efforts to attract customers once again by assuring them security and safety. A joint effort by casino employees as well as the guests can enrich the gaming experience while eradicating the health risks. By being alert one can enjoy casino visits like before. So, be cautious and hop on to your favorite casino.