Unfortunately for the Las Vegas casino industry, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has stolen the spotlight, at least for the moment, in a contentious interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, calling for her city to become a “control group” to re-open the economy. Meanwhile, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has put forward a sensible plan for casinos to start-up, lawmakers are pushing to help struggling operators, and the Hard Rock has given a sober assessment of how long it will take to return to normalcy.
If you haven’t seen Mayor Goodman’s interview yet, the full thing is a cringe worthy 25 minute discussion where Goodman insists Las Vegas needs to get back to business. Underwhelmed with her answers, Cooper at times flat out calls her answers “ignorant,” and encourages her to seek out help and better information.
Las Vegas Mayor offers city as "control group", "we offer to be a control group" to see how many people die without social distancing. pic.twitter.com/NESE2hActE
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 22, 2020
While Goodman won’t promise to visit casinos when they re-open, the NGCB has outlined what steps casinos should probably follow if they want to be allowed to start business again.
In the April 22 memo, the regulator’s chairwoman, Sandra Douglass Morgan noted: “A safe, thoughtful, and efficient resumption of gaming operations in this state will help both Nevada and its residents recover from this pandemic.”
To get permission to open, the control board wants casinos to submit a plan seven days before re-opening, and identify which areas of their property will be re-opened, as well as which will stay closed. In addition, it noted specifically that nightclubs should only operate “in compliance with any directive or guidance issued by the governor’s office and state and local health officials,” as well as how furloughed employees should be dealt with.
The rest of the 18 points focus on a lot of specific details, like employee licensing, bankroll requirements, and other pieces that may have lapsed or expired due to the extended shutdown. But the major point, as far as the casinos should be concerned, is that much of this decision making still sits with Governor Steve Sisolak, who still doesn’t think Vegas should re-open.
Even if Mayor Goodman were to get her way and casinos were to re-open tomorrow, Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen says things won’t be like they used to be. “There’s going to be a real challenge, especially here in the United States, as far as ramping the business back up. We’re planning on that taking a year,” he told CNBC.
Citing a 12% occupancy rate at the Hard Rock Shenzhen Hotel in China as tourism is currently non-existent, he doesn’t think the industry will recover for at least a year.
Talk like that has Nevada lawmakers renewing calls for the next federal relief bill to consider small gaming operators. The current bill being considered by the House excludes businesses that receive more than 50% of their revenue from gambling, harming not only large integrated resorts, but also bars and truck stops.
Senator Jacky Rosen and Representative Dina Titus, joined by a bipartisan group of legislators who want to help all small businesses with the relief effort, are hoping to get that changed before the bill is passed. “I’m continuing to beat the drum on that,” Rosen told reporters.
