Nevada casino shuttering comes with considerable costs

Tuesday’s decision from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak to immediately shutter every one of the western state’s 219 commercial casinos so as to help stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has reportedly put some 206,000 people out of work.

According to a Thursday report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, this is the belief of the American Gaming Association (AGA) trade group who proclaimed that the federal government must now ‘act swiftly’ in order to get the nation’s hospitality industry and its many supportive businesses back to work.

Considerable cost:

The newspaper cited Bill Miller (pictured), President and Chief Executive Officer for the AGA, as explaining that casino employees in Nevada make up about 33% of the country’s total gaming workforce with the 30-day closure likely to result in at least $4.7 billion in lost economic activity. He purportedly pronounced that this tally would rise to roughly $43.5 billion after only eight weeks should the mass shutdown be rolled out on a nationwide basis.

Miller reportedly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal…

“The impacts on our employees, their families, and their communities are staggering and the implications extend far beyond the casino floor. Leading technology companies that supply the industry and the nearly 350,000 small business employees in the United States that rely on gaming for their livelihood are also feeling the devastating blow of this unprecedented public health crisis.”

Decisive determination:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that around 95% of the commercial casinos in the United States have temporarily closed their doors to help prevent the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus strain that has so far killed over 11,300 people around the world. It furthermore detailed that approximately three-quarters of the nation’s tribal gambling facilities have shut down with Miller said to have described the moves as ‘important health and safety decisions made by state governments’.

Miller reportedly told the newspaper…

“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.”