All of the nation’s commercial casinos – 465 total – will be closed by Wednesday in an effort to halt the COVID-19 coronavirus spread, the American Gaming Association said Monday.
The remaining holdouts – Deadwood, South Dakota – are expected to comply with a request by the city’s mayor to cease operations by Wednesday at noon. The USBets website reported Monday morning that one Deadwood casino operator said, “(We) don’t plan on closing unless something major happens.”
The AGA said at least 97% of the country’s 524 tribal properties have also closed. The 16 properties that remain open are mostly small convenience locations.
The combined 973 closed casinos represent 98% of all gaming properties in the country, affecting approximately 649,000 casino gaming employees – roughly the entire U.S. casino workforce – and removing an estimated $43.5 billion in economic activity if casinos remain closed for the next two months.
The AGA said casino closures risk nearly $74 billion in total wages annually for workers and their families.
Deadwood Mayor David Ruth Jr. told a South Dakota television station the shutdown would have a significant impact on businesses and employees. But he cited the United States’ Surgeon General’s warning that “the coronavirus outbreak will worsen this week’ and that “people across the country are not taking the threat seriously enough.”
The Washington D.C.-based organization has been lobbying for the casino industry’s involvement in the recovery efforts, such as inclusion in an estimated $1.8 trillion federal economic stimulus package being considered on Capitol Hill.
“The federal government must act swiftly and comprehensively to get America’s hospitality employees, and the small businesses that support them, back to work,” AGA CEO Bill Miller said last week. “Gaming employees, their families, and communities are bearing the brunt of this economic standstill and will continue to suffer if Congress and the administration don’t take immediate action.”
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
