Nevada casinos and other land-based locations will remain closed longer than expected due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) announced that casinos and other land-based gambling venues in the Silver State will remain closed until at least April 30 in an attempt to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Nevada has become the latest state to extend the suspension of land-based gambling operations due to the pandemic. Yesterday, the Illinois Gaming Board announced it will extend the temporary closure of Illinois casinos until the end of April.
Non-essential business closure extended
Initially, gambling venues in the state were ordered to temporarily close by 11:59pm on March 17 for 30 days. This temporary closure has now been extended until the end of April after Governor Steve Sisolak extended the temporary measures.
Governor Sisolak announced the extension of the measures in a Facebook post on April 1 that said: “Today, I formally issued a Stay at Home order and extended all other directives under the State of Emergency Declaration, including the school, nonessential business, and gaming closures, until April 30th.”
The extension of the closures is not limited to gambling venues and will apply to all non-essential businesses in Nevada. The only businesses permitted to stay open are pharmacies, grocery and convenience stores, drug stores, banks, hardware stores and gas stations.
The NGCB will be responsible for enforcing the temporary closure of casinos until the Governor decides to lift the measures. The regulator also reminded licensed operators that “All gaming devices, machines, tables, games, and any equipment related to gaming activity must be shut down until 11:59pm on April 30, 2020.”
When the closure of non-essential business was initially announced, Governor Sisolak said: “This is only common sense; if your business brings groups of people together, it should not be open.”
Coronavirus and the US gambling sector
With all commercial and the majority of tribal casinos in the US closed and almost all major sporting events being put on hold, the coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the US gambling sector.
Last month, the American Gaming Association (AGA) warned that the shutdown of the country’s casinos could cost the economy as much as $43.5bn in the upcoming months. The AGA also called for federal support from the government to help the industry’s employees and their families that would be impacted by the closures.
Since then the US Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which would create a $2tn stimulus packages to help people, businesses and states affected by the pandemic.
