Deadwood Casinos Enjoy Success In Gambling ReturnCity Is Home To 11 Of The 20 Casinos Currently Operating In The Country |
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There are 20 casinos that have recently reopened since the nationwide brick-and-mortar gambling shutdown in mid-March, according to the American Gaming Association.
Of the reopened properties, 11 of them are in Deadwood, a historic mining town in South Dakota. If Deadwood’s results are anything indicative of the rest of the country, the U.S. gaming market will have no problem getting back on its feet.
According to a CNBC report, the first full weekend of gaming was a massive success. Caleb Arceneaux, the CEO of a family-owned company that owns and operates Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort and Cadillac Jack’s told the media outlet that the properties experienced a bigger turnout in their return last weekend than a typical weekend would normally produce.
“We were about 15% or 20% higher than a typical weekend,” Arceneaux told CNBC. “Cabin fever’s real, and I think people wanted to get out and go experience, you know, gaming again.”
Arceneaux also noted that the available hotel rooms were in high demand and people were driving in from out of town to partake in gambling, which reopened last Thursday.
Arceneaux’s reports from Deadwood back up a sentiment made by Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg Monday. Reeg told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was optimistic that Nevada casinos will rebound nicely from the shutdown.
“I think you’re going to see margins that are quite impressive early on,” said Reeg. “As places have reopened and social distancing has been eased, there has been enthusiastic recommitment by consumers. I would hope that’s the case in our business.”
The nine other casinos currently open are all tribal properties. There are six tribal casinos operating in Oklahoma, none of which host major poker tournaments like Choctaw or Windstar casinos do. The Choctaw tribal nation announced that it would begin reopening its casinos June 1.
There are two casinos open for business in Eastern Washington and Coeur D’Alene Casino Resort was the first gaming establishment to reopen on May 1.
Major gaming markets will slowly follow the trend and begin to reopen in the coming weeks.
On Friday, the number of open casinos will jump from 20 to 25 as five Phoenix-area casinos are set to open its doors. Arizona is reopening much quicker than other states. Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that the state would allow its professional sports teams to resume action without any fans in attendance.
Louisiana’s 20 commercial casinos will be eligible to reopen for business on Monday. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, however, said that she will not let her city’s casinos open at the outset of the state’s reopening of the economy.
In California, casinos and cardrooms will open at a pace dictated by local governments. Los Angeles County decided Tuesday that stay-at-home orders will continue through July, making it unlikely that major casinos like Commerce or The Bicycle Casino will be allowed to open anytime soon.
Two tribal casinos in San Diego County are planning to open in less than two weeks. Sycuan casino is scheduled to open May 20, while Valley View will take bets again on May 22.
The country’s biggest gambling market, Las Vegas, is eyeing a June reopening. Despite Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox’s hope to be open by Memorial Day, it looks like June is the more realistic timeframe. Venetian and Palazzo are expecting to open in June and MGM Interim CEO Bill Hornbuckle told NBC that he felt the Strip will likely reopen in the “first part of June.”
Atlantic City is hoping for a similar timeline as many casinos in the coastal city are beginning to accept reservations on June 1. A timeline, however, has not been announced by any state officials.
There are no definitive timelines available for other major casino markets like Pennsylvania or Florida.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted Monday that he would be implementing penalties for counties that allow businesses to open before he lifts restrictions, making it unlikely casinos will be open in the near future.
As for Florida, bestbet Jacksonville announced that it will resume live racing on Monday, May 18 without a live audience, but there has been no word from Gov. Ron DeSantis about when traditional casino games will be running again.
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