Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, MGM Resorts International’s and Wynn Resorts Ltd.’s casinos will be taken out of operation. The eight Las Vegas strip resorts of MGM Resorts will be shuttered “until further notice,” while the Encore and Wynn casinos of Wynn Resorts will be offline for two weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
At the same time, gambling regulators in other states have mandated that casinos shutter to help stem the spread of COVID-19. MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor are both mandated to be closed due to orders from gambling regulators in Massachusetts.
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Sands, the owner of the Palazzo and the Venetian, however, said per the report that the properties are still open.
The three U.S. casinos of Wynn made almost $2 billion in operating revenue in 2019, which was approximately one-third of the overall $6.6 billion revenue of Wynn Resorts. The company also runs resorts in Macau, a territory of China and the biggest gambling area globally.
The government of Macau shuttered casinos for two weeks last month due to the virus. Gambling revenues plummeted by 88 percent in that month in comparison to the same month in 2019. The shutdowns also came amid the Lunar New Year celebrations, which is one of the most crowded times of the year in that location.
Las Vegas vacationing, for its part, has dropped abruptly with travel restrictions, warnings to steer clear of social meetings and cancellations of events. As it stands, operators of casinos have been closing portions of their resorts such as theaters and restaurants.
As previously reported, casinos were calling off live shows and buffets with the coronavirus spread in the United States. The brand of Hard Rock depends on live entertainment, but it is abstaining from those offerings in the United States for a time period of 30 days. And the Valley Forge Casino in Pennsylvania was shutting down until March 27.
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