This Week in Gambling

No one is sure when things will get back to normal, but one casino operator in planning for August to see the Las Vegas strip reopen. “The question is going to be airlift into Las Vegas,” Robert Goldstein, president and chief operating officer of the $34.9 billion Las Vegas Sands, said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday evening. “I don’t know how airlift would look in the next 90 days” or how the economic downturn will affect Americans’ travel plans, he added. “But group business appears to be out there for August and into the fall.” Earlier on…

There has been a lot of speculation over the past several days about when opening Las Vegas would be safe. Even the Mayor chimed in with some optimistic (but not very rational) ideas of her own. But the state Gaming Control Board says that any decision to welcome visitors back to the Strip and Fremont Street will be based on science. The Board has now released a 6-page report which contains 18-points on the specific procedures for reopening casinos after their temporary closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The policy, posted late Tuesday on the Control Board’s website, describes a…

Many people are wondering how Las Vegas casino recovery will work after the pandemic. After all, the gaming industry in Nevada has faced numerous challenges over the past several years, including the Recession of 2008 and travel disruptions from the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. However, since last month nearly 1,000 commercial casinos and Indian gaming properties in 43 states have been shut down completely. This is new territory. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has ordered social distancing guidelines and closed the states casinos and nonessential businesses to try to slow the Coronavirus. That order ends April 30, but most analysts…

Las Vegas workers are pushing back after their mayor, Carolyn Goodman, recently said that she wanted to reopen the Strip and convention centers before her city ‘dies’. It would seem that employees in Vegas do not share her enthusiasm for putting themselves on the front lines while the pandemic is still not fully under control in Nevada. “We’re not test subjects,” said Alexander Acosta, a banquet bartender with the Caesar Forum Conference Center, NBC News reported. “We’re people. We are employees.” Plans have been drawn up by leadership at Wynn Resorts and MGM, but Mayor Goodman has gone a step…

The head-honcho at Wynn Resorts says he wants to see the Las Vegas Strip open in early May… at least partially. Matt Maddox said that some resorts should open next month with “reduced occupancy” and various social distancing and sanitation protocols. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak order all casinos closed for 30 days due to Coronavirus health concerns in mid-March. He later extended the closure end the end of April. It’s expected that Sisolak will reveal more about any potential plans for reopening later this week. While Maddox said he believes Nevada is “well-positioned” relative to other states with an eye…

Organizers Announce WSOP Postponed The Worls Series of Poker was slated to begin in late May, but now the announcement we all knew would come: The event has been pushed back due to the pandemic, and the schedule will be revisited with a target of dates this fall. “We are committed to running the World Series of Poker this year but need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while prioritizing guest and staff well-being,” Ty Stewart, executive director of the World Series of Poker, said in a statement. e 51st edition of poker’s most prestigious event was slated…