COVID-19 has been hammering the bricks and mortar casino business with everything it’s got, and it appears to still be on top.
But New Zealand has beaten the odds and removed the virus from its shores, allowing the SkyCity Casino to re-open without any COVID restrictions in place.
It’s the first casino in the world to be able to re-open for business with no measures in place!
The SkyCity Casino is the first in the world to reopen with no COVID restrictions!
New Zealand Showing the World How It’s Done
It’s been a big month for New Zealand, with its Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, winning her reelection in a landslide victory.
Ardern proudly proclaimed that there’s no sight of COVID in the country, meaning life can return to normal at last.
This means that the SkyCity casino can once again open its doors and people cam gamble the night away in the iconic Auckland casino.
New Zealand is currently on Alert Level 1, which is the lowest possible rating in the country.
Other Casinos are Still Suffering
Poor decision making and planning mean that virtually every other country on the planet is still plagued with COVID-19, and it’s hitting the casino world hard.
Macau is struggling to stay afloat without the casino revenue, and it’s now turning its attention towards becoming more family friendly.
Under the new proposals, Macau will see more green spaces, water parks and family entertainment venues built.
This is with the hopes of diversifying the special administrative region’s income, should something like COVID-19 happen again.
In Nevada, casinos are riding out COVID-19 better than competitors in Macau, but they’re still taking a huge hit.
Player numbers in Nevada are down and so too is revenue.
In August, Nevada saw just $743 million in revenue, that’s down 1.7% month on month and 21.9% year on year.
This means that despite being open, players are far from flocking into these establishments.
If this scary trend continues, we could see major layoffs in the industry and lesser prepared casinos potentially opting to shut their doors in order to curb costs as much as possible.
Will the Casino World Rebound?
Unfortunately, it appears as if few governments are willing to lead from the front and put self-interests aside.
If COVID-19 continues to ravish Macau and America, then casinos will still have 50% capacity rules in place, meaning that earnings are potentially cut in half right off the bat.
Tie in that with the fact people are struggling to travel, people are losing jobs and the fact that online casinos are growing, and it paints a bleak picture for bricks and mortar casinos.
Online casinos have seen a massive surge in players during the course of the pandemic, and the longer it drags on, the more players will begin giving up their Vegas or Macau plans in favor of no deposit free spins.
With large welcome bonuses, weekly promotions, stunning graphics and the ability to be played from any location at any time, online casinos really do have the upper hand in this battle for casino supremacy.
It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing casualties from the bricks and mortar casino industry!
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