COVID-19 continues to bite into Sin City, with three major Las Vegas Strip casinos announcing another batch of long-term layoffs. The MGM Grand, Park MGM and Tropicana all announced that they would be reducing the size of their workforce in the continued financial pressure brought on by the pandemic.
The MGM Grand, Park MGM and Tropicana sent documents to the Nevada employment office outlining their intention to lay off 1,172 employees. Nevada state law requires that all laid-off employees receive sufficient notice to enable them to look for new employment.
The bulk of the employees are set to be cut from the Tropicana, with 1,110 expected the lose their jobs. In a statement, the management of the Tropicana pointed out the pandemic conditions have forced the business into significant cutbacks:
“Significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. We could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes.”
Vegas casinos continue to struggle as tourism levels continue to plummet. The MGM Grand announced that 180 MGM employees will be facing layoffs.
In a statement to local media, MGM Resorts International stated that the bulk of the layoffs will be coming from two live entertainment venues managed by a third party operator.
Since a forced closure order from the Nevada governor in early March, Vegas casinos have struggled to maintain a consistent level of operation. Social distancing measures have meant that casinos have faced delays in returning to full operational capacity. The worsening COVID-19 conditions in the U.S. have also resulted in a dramatic decline in tourism numbers for the Vegas strip.
There has been a steady stream of layoffs from Vegas casinos over the past six months. In August, MGM announced a large scale layoff that impacted 18,000 employees.
