Mississippi’s Ameristar Casino Furloughs 150 workers

Published: 18/06/2020

Reading Time: 4 Min

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The novel coronavirus infected more than 8,000,000 people and killed near half a million in less than four months of spread. Companies around the world lost billions in revenue. Governments are trapped in debt as they fund coronavirus preventive campaigns.

Without any idea of when things will go back to normal, companies during the lockdowns feared bankruptcy. Investors are scared that prolonged economic inactivity will result in another financial crisis. Economies continued to decline because businesses shut down, and many people lost their jobs.

Casinos were among the first businesses to close doors when the government ordered the shutdowns. The gambling facilities are prone to spreading the virus because of a massive number of guests and employees during their operations.

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Losses to casinos during lockdowns

Casinos in the US shut shutdown business since mid-March. They remained closed for nearly four months, continually taking losses as the lockdowns continue.

Many casinos continued to pay the wages of employees while they are in shutdown. Hundreds to thousands of casino employees lost their jobs and waited for support from their employees during the lockdown.

Many companies decided to furlough employees to cushion the impact of the pandemic. The government’s new requirements for the reopening added burden to the operators. Casinos needed total restructuring before the reopening and operators required to ensure that their properties are qualified and ready to accept back patrons.

Industry regulators are strict with the implementation of the new guidelines. They require operators to implement social distancing practices in the facilities, requiring them to install new instruments and protective necessities on the casino floor. The casino is required to install sanitation booths, thermal scanners and monitors, smoking areas, and other necessary remedies to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Ameristar casino lay off 150 workers

Casinos in many states needed to collect more funds or find alternatives to continue operations.

Ameristar casino, a riverfront casino in Mississippi, decided to let go of 150 employees to survive the challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

The company announced its plan to lay off employees starting August. Gerad Hardy, the casino’s General Manager, said the new guidelines and challenges they faced urged them to lay off the employees. The manager said they failed to anticipate that they will be allowed to reopen with the new restrictions.

Casino reopening in many states turned successful. People swarmed the streets of Las Vegas when they started accepting guests. People started phone bookings for reservations in hotels and casinos. Flights to Las Vegas and other states where casinos are operational increased.

The reopening showed that people are eager to go back to the casino floors. They were patiently waiting in long lines and traveled far for a chance to place their bets on the casino tables.

The swarm of people going into the casino showed the massive potential for the casino industry to recover.

Experts believe that it won’t take long for the industry to go back to its pre-coronavirus levels. The rise in online gambling subscriptions also shows that Americans love gambling. It won’t take long for the industry to go back to normal.