Nevada Regulators: Closures In May Reflects In Casino, Tourism, Airport Data

closures in May reflect the airports in the US
Reading Time: 3 Min
Image: Shutterstock
The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported that the casinos generated nearly zero tax revenue in May because of the government’s restrictions.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority revealed that almost 96 percent of visitor volume dropped from last year’s figures during the same period, while the McCarran International Airport suffered a decrease in passenger traffic by 91.5 percent during the month.

Economic activities halted when the government announced restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Travel and mass gatherings were restricted by nearly four months because of the deadly virus. In May, almost every establishment shut down operations since everyone is mandated to stay at home.

Casinos, tourist destinations were hardly hit by the lockdowns. Revenues of casinos dropped to record levels they’ve never experienced before. Flights were canceled, and airports shut down until the government relaxed its restrictions.

Figures remained low in succeeding months

May figures showed the same result in April. Closures of casinos and other business establishments reflected on the reports of the regulating bodies. Governor Steve Sisolak ordered the shutdown of all business establishments in March, and casinos were only allowed to resume operations on June 4.

The state saw a massive decline in revenue from March to May because of the closures of businesses. Governor Sisolak decided to gradually open economic activities to recover the losses during the months of lockdowns slowly, and almost every establishments and sector suffered great losses, as they continue paying for operational costs and wages despite closures.

The Gaming Control Board revealed that the state accumulated $56,000 in gambling taxes. It is down 99 percent compared to the collection last year. Mobile sports gaming and interactive poker contributed to the small amount of revenue. Before the pandemic, the state reported three straight months of 1 billion house winnings.

Novel coronavirus cases continue rising

Only 151,000 tourists were recorded around Las Vegas during the month. McCarran reported less than 392,000 passengers in May, a massive decline from the 4.6 million figures from last year during the same month. The airport recorded more than 51.5 million in and out flights the previous year.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread all over the state. Nevada reported 38 new cases and one death on July 1, adding to the 19,101 confirmed cases with 510 deaths. The US currently has nearly 300,000 infections, with more than 130,000 deaths.

Globally, the novel coronavirus infected more than ten million people, taking over half a million lives. The spread of the deadly disease will continue to scare everyone, especially that the virus still has no vaccine or cure.

More and more casinos reopen operations all around the world despite the rising cases of infections.

States need to choose between health and the breaking economy. In response, state leaders ordered the strict implementation of health and sanitation protocols during the reopening of the businesses, including casinos.

Governor Sisolak ordered casinos to strictly impose social distancing and the mandatory wearing of masks inside the gambling establishments.

Read Also: