Casino Survival

[Antebellum Reb]

Until or unless a vaccine is developed before the end of 2020 and distributed to the majority of people by Spring 2021, the multiple restrictions and regulations ("the so called new normal") that casinos and complementary businesses must now follow and operate under will severely test the casinos' ability to survive, let alone turn a profit. Hasn't anyone questioned this?
Consider the different places across the country with casino markets, like Pennsylvania, The Gulf Coast, Atlantic City, Las Vegas & Reno, and even smaller micro markets like Upstate New York or Florida. Most casino-hotels everywhere are restricted in the capacity they can allow into their property at any one given time, with the range falling somewhere between 30-50% of capacity, as well as limiting the number of people on the casino floor. Many games and revenue streams are simply gone or severely limited, no poker and card and table games are at half capacity. no buffets no conventions (someone pointed out in different post how Vegas has lost the old reliable conventions of past years.) The list goes on and on, plus there is simply the fact quite a large percentage of important demographic customer bases like older geriatric players will not be risking their lives just to play in a greatly limited and barren casino.

How will this play out? I am certain many of the casinos that were in markets that were on the edge before the pandemic will likely fail by the end of the year, such as the one in the atlantic city market that took over the boondoggle that took years to build during the 2008 great recession. certain mississippi properties and gulf coast properties cannot possibly survive this sustained depression. something must give.....
those of you who have played the past 6 weeks since major mass reopenings really took off, have you noticed a lack of the old player friendly games like 99%+ return paytables? How will casinos recoup the potential jackpots they might have to payout if a customer gets lucky, when their revenue streams have been halved or worse? The philadelphia casinos such as harrahs and sugarhouse cannot possibly hope to recoup a multimillion dollar jackpot in previous timeframes given the current business situation! Personally, even though it has not been a long enough period of time, I know the USA and the world is now in a Economic depression, which will become official at the close of the next fiscal quarter. There is no way on earth once this happens that anyone in their right mind is going to want to blow money in a watered down bare bones casino environment, even the fortunate people who can afford it. This will get much much worse before it ever improves, or even levels off.

[seemoreroyals]

Your observations are in line with what I am expecting. We missed our best chance to contain this mess by not acting sooner. Repeated assurances from our soon to be exiled leader (I hope so anyway) "We have it under control. It will soon go away". Even now he is still essentially saying the same thing. Even if a vaccine comes out tomorrow about a third of the country probably won't take it. We still have a long way to go to get back to normal both at the casino and in all aspects of life in general. Maybe a new regime can give us answers and leadership to get out of this mess. Maybe not. One thing is for sure. We can't keep doing what we are doing. It is not working. And it is very likely that the virus is not going to "mysteriously go away".

[seemoreroyals]

To further respond AR, our gambling has already changed due to the pandemic. Since the shut down we have been to the casino a grand total of twice. Two overnight trips in June. Drive over drive back. Before the shutdown we had a 4 night trip to Tahoe, a 4 night trip to Ak Chin and a 7 night cruise to the Mexican Riviera. All with air travel. We have cancelled two additional Tahoe trips we normally take, a Vegas trip for wife's 7 star event, and we cancelled another cruise scheduled for later this year. As much as we enjoy travelling I don't see us getting on an airplane for at least another year.

Vegas has really got to be hurting. No shows, limited things to do out there compared to normal. Some of the regional casinos may do okay as others like us that might otherwise go to a place like Vegas or Tahoe avoid air travel and switch their play to a casino that they can drive to. Getting back to normal cannot happen soon enough. We are indeed fortunate and I feel for the people with families that are trying to get through this pandemic living paycheck to paycheck or government stimulus check to government stimulus check.

[POKERKAT]

Before virus we took a lot of "casino trips" to Vegas and Laughlin. Enjoyed the river, jet skis, shows and restaurants. My "free" rooms helped my hubby go to drone conventions and CES in Vegas. Miss all of that a lot. However, NOTHING is going to improve until we can control the virus. The economy will not come back, people will not travel enough and vacations are a joke.....until we get a handle on this plague. What can we do until a vaccine........wear masks, stay distant, wash your hands. They say if everyone wears masks, thousands more will live. Seems to be too difficult for Americans to do this. America should have done better.

[billryan]

But what about our rights? What about our freedom to infect whomever we want? Wake up, people. This is all a hoax. Real Mericans don't hide from a virus. Just take your hydroxy and some zinc and show the word that we don't need no science. FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRUMP4318!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Real Mericans don't drink corona, let alone get sick from it?

[olds442jetaway]

Dubai is so desparate for tourist busines, you can book a 5 star room there for 90 bucks. They will also cover your health insurance while there, and if you die, pay part of your funeral expense. Thanks, but no thanks.

[rascal]

I'm not getting into the politics of it, but from a medical standpoint I will never understand for the rest of my life why national leadership did not take action sooner. If ever we had a crisis that demanded strong and ENFORCED federal action, this is the one. I will never forget (nor forgive) the president of the United States making fun of the sissies who were wearing facemasks.

[billryan]

LIBERATE MINNESOTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Antebellum Reb]

Well for those who have been playing video poker in Vegas casinos since the June(ish) reopening of many properties, what is the general "mood" or atmosphere inside, given all the many changes and restrictions and regulations. I have not actually been inside any of them yet since before the bug....before, casinos always had a perpetual 'energy' inside their gaming area, and there was always this 'fun' vibe on the floor. I would seriously doubt that still exists.

I have been trying to galvanize myself to visit ANY number of different casinos in different markets since June, and I just cannot do it. I talk myself out of it each time, and this is partly due to the fact that reality has permanently changed. Since March when the pandemic hit and we all watched the horror show of people dying en masse i NYC and elsewhere, along with the most pathetic and tragic display of US government incompetence in response. Casinos no longer seem like a big deal or even appropriate. Hard times are here and will get harder, which means even people who theoretically can afford it perhaps should not be blowing money on such fleeting and frivolous activity, until things improve economically. People are and will be hurting very badly financially, and I thing that's where I should be putting any discretionary funds I have for the near future. Any family, friends or neighbors I have who are out of work and in deep trouble will get my financial resources, not Caesars or MGM or the Four Queens Downtown!

I can't be alone in this sentiment or view....

[billryan]

I don't expect to see the inside of a casino anytime soon. What I do miss is going to concerts and shows but I'm in rush to go back to any.