As the COVID situation fails to improve in the US, more and more states are implementing precautionary measures.
Michigan kicked off the second round of closures, asking casinos in Detroit to shut their doors for three weeks.
Nevada Governor, Steve Sisolak then followed suit, cutting capacity of all public venues down to 25%, much to the displeasure of Las Vegas’ mayor.
Now, Pennsylvania is following suit, with a closure of 13 casinos for at least 3 weeks.
A $1.5 Billion Revenue Stream Lying Dormant
Pennsylvania’s Governor, Tom Wolf has ordered that the 13 casinos in the state shut their doors for at least 3 weeks.
This means that Wolf is keeping the door firmly open should he wish to extend the measures well into 2021.
In Pennsylvania, the casino industry rakes in more than $1.5 billion annually for the tax man, and to have that sat dormant is dangerous for the state.
The majority of the 13 casinos have all signed a letter displaying their disapproval of the move to close down, but all are complying for the time being.
On the other hand, “skill” based machines that you find in gas stations and restaurant across the state have had no restrictions placed upon them.
This has caused the casino industry to go a little crazy, as these unregulated machines are allowed to operate as normal with no precautions in place, while casinos following guidelines and best practices are forced to close down.
A Huge Boost for MGM
Last week, MGM’s very own online casino finally got the stamp of approval. BetMGM is now live and players from Pennsylvania can sign up and start playing a wide range of simulated casino games.
The timing couldn’t have been better for BetMGM as in its launch week it was basically handed every single player in the state.
Online casinos are still enjoying a huge boost from the shutdown of bricks and mortar casinos, and this is a trend that’s only continuing to grow.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of games offered by legal sites such as BetMGM, citizens are turning to other online casinos that may not be fully regulated in the USA.
There are many from around the world that will allow American citizens to make a deposit and play, but when a cashout is placed, the casinos shut down the accounts citing jurisdiction issues.
This is a massive issue plaguing American online casinos players, and it’s something that a lot of players need to be careful about.
Unregulated or casinos with very loose licenses are exploiting American online casinos players by allowing them to deposit.
Other jurisdictions have geo-blocking applied, meaning players cannot even access these sites from jurisdictions that online casinos should not be operating in.
So, until more online casinos adopt these geoblocking measures, or are pulled up by American regulators, these dodgy online casinos will still plague American players.
This means that sites like BetMGM and DraftKings are incredibly important to the evolution of American online gambling.
There’s still no sign of COVID slowing down in the USA, meaning we will likely see more states follow suit.
So, if you’re going to head to an online casino, make sure it’s regulated and licensed to operate in the USA – if you’re from the USA, of course.
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