Yes, Sin City is open. And no, a Las Vegas return to a pre-Coronavirus world is not close. Recently, the owner of the South Point Casino went as far as to say that a full recovery may not come until sometime in 2022.

Michael Gaughan was speaking at a ribbon-cutting event for a new 40,000-square-foot equestrian arena at his resort and said “I’ve been here since 1952 and this is probably the worst thing that’s ever happened…” Casinos were ordered shuttered in mid-March to help curb the spread of the virus, and the state didn’t allow them to start reopening until June 4.

He continued: “I do think that by the start of 2022, we should be back to completely normal. I just hope Las Vegas can get back to where it was. Everybody is trying to survive and keep as many working as they can.” A handful of resorts remain closed, and the Encore announced this week that it was ceasing midweek operations because of weak customer demand.

You can read more about the prospects for a Las Vegas return to normal at the Review-Journal.