(Newswire.net — April 15, 2020) — Nothing related to the world of sport in the United States escapes the complete suspension of all activity that has forced the coronavirus pandemic and now it is the turn of the casino and gambling business.
All the casinos in the United States will be closed with the exception of the latest new online casino technology. Now U.S. operators, who still offer online gambling in those states that allow it, are doing so with products that are only intended to hold out hope of mitigating a significant loss of revenue with no end in sight.
BetMGM, 888 Casino, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet are among the companies that continue to offer online gambling. Nine states, led by Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia, offer online gambling on a large scale. However, the action is minimal.
In fact, the American Gaming Association (AGA) reported that 973 casinos in the United States had already closed, and when the nearly 30 gambling facilities in Deadwood, South Dakota, cease operations Wednesday, 100 percent of commercial casinos in the United States will have closed.
According to the AGA, a Washington, DC-based trade group representing the U.S. casino industry, the casino closures will affect 649,000 workers. If the closures last two months, the AGA estimates that $43.5 billion in economic activity generated by the casinos will be lost.
The casino industry, along with the hotel and tourism industry, is seeking help from the federal government to cope with the large losses already being incurred. The president of the AGA, Bill Miller, through a statement was categorical in asking the federal authorities to take very seriously everything that is happening in the gambling industry.
“The federal government must act quickly and comprehensively to get employees in the U.S. hospitality industry and the small businesses that support them back to work,” Miller said. The head of the U.S. gaming industry recalled that the group he represented had great economic needs to be met immediately.
“People working in the gaming industry, their families and communities are being hit hardest by this economic stagnation and will continue to suffer if Congress and the administration in government do not take immediate action,” Miller reiterated.
Two weeks ago, legal operators in 17 states were preparing for the traditional “March Madness”, the national college basketball championship, which never took place.
The various sports betting operators in the United States recognize that they are experiencing an unprecedented situation and do not know what the next step will be, apart from having to temporarily close their businesses, and having to help the thousands of workers who have been left without a salary.
Some of the casino brands, with the private funds of their managers and donations, have begun to give some help to the workers until sports resumes in the States and the activity returns to the multi-million dollar gambling business, which the coronavirus has also quarantined for the first time in its history.