Towers Casino Shut Down
The month-long freeze on gambling shut down the well-known casinos of Las Vegas and Reno along with slot machines and other devices found in grocery and convenience stores. The casino shut down Sunday at 10 PM which was the last day they’re allowed to operate before shutting down again per a county health order. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer).
A Las Vegas Strip casino is closing its hotel operations due to a lack of demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Las Vegas Sands Corp announced Tuesday that it will be temporarily shutting down the overwhelming majority of the Palazzo’s hotel, according to a report from the Reno Gazette-Journal. Suite reservations are being offered exclusively at The Venetian, the other Sands-owned Strip property, until Dec. 23. After Dec. 24, guests may book a suite at The Palazzo.
The Venetian will keep its hotel operational for the time being. Employees of the Palazzo hotel will continue to be compensated. The casino portion of both properties will remain open.
“The Venetian Resort is making a temporary adjustment to its hotel operations to better reflect occupancy patterns,” said a Venetian spokesperson in a statement. “Beginning December 7, suite reservations will be offered exclusively in The Venetian tower through December 23, 2020. The guest experience at The Venetian Resort is not expected to change. The Palazzo will remain open, including most restaurants, bars, the casino, parking garage, and Grand Canal Shoppes; however, there have been minor adjustments to operating hours and The Palazzo casino floor will have limited table games available.”
Several Las Vegas Strip hotels, including Caesars-owned Planet Hollywood and MGM’s Mandalay Bay, Mirage and Park MGM, had stopped taking midweek reservations. Wynn Resorts’ Encore casino halted its midweek operations for both its casino and hotel. Palazzo became the first Strip casino to shut its hotel down entirely.
Since Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak reopened the state’s casino industry on June 4, the Las Vegas Strip struggles to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels. With the need for social distancing and the inability to congregate in large crowds, the demand for tourism declined, which in turn brought down revenue on both the gaming floor and in the hotel business.
In October, Strip casinos watched revenue fall more than 30% year-over-year, which was actually an improvement from the three previous months which brought a nearly 40% drop.
It’s this trend that sparked Las Vegas Sands to announce that they were exploring the possibility of selling its two Strip casinos. In a July earnings call, Sands President and COO Rob Goldstein said that he “Never felt more gloomy than I do today about what’s happening in Las Vegas.”
Towers Casino Shut Down Unexpectedly
CHURCH ROCK, N.M.
The four casinos operated by the Navajo Nation are closing due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The Navajo Nation Gaming board or directors sent a memo temporarily shutting all four casinos — Fire Rock Casino, Twin Arrows Casino, Northern Edge Casino, and Flowing Water Navajo Casino — for three weeks.
Prior to approval of the shutdown, at Fire Rock casino patrons’ temperatures were checked at the front entrance with a thermometer.
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The gaming board said the casinos would reopen on April 6, according to the memo,
On Monday, President Jonathan Nez said the tribe will lose about $3- to 5 million in casino revenue.
“The health and well-being of our Navajo people is of utmost importance and not just profit,” Nez said.
“We did send a letter to the gaming enterprise, telling them to shut the casinos down,” Nez said. “They’re gonna have to consider losing millions of dollars for closing.”
Vinton Shack and his wife, Valerie Kellestewa, both from Zuni, said they support the casino closings.
“It’s kind of scary,” Shack said. “It’s kind of spreading real quick. It’s all over.”
Shack and Kallestewa said they plan to spend more time with their kids at home.
During the shutdown, gaming employees are to stay in contact with their supervisors.
To date, Nez said there are no confirmed cases reported on the reservation.