According to Steve Sisolak who is Nevada’s Governor, gaming businesses including land-based casinos that operate within the state’s borders will be allowed to re-open starting from the 4^th of June after over two months of being shut down. Just this week, the state’s Governor Mr. Sisolak released his official statement in which he shared more details about the state’s casino gaming industry.

In this official statement, Mr. Sisolak also released his Roadmap to Recovery Phase 2 plan according to which the Las Vegas Strip casinos and other gaming operators get to resume their operations the following week. Commenting on the overall situation regarding mandatory shutdowns of casinos and other gaming businesses, Steve Sisolak said in his official statement that residents of the state have done a great job with helping the state’s officials and health care providers to flatten the curve.

Roadmap to Recovery Phase 2 Ready to Start

He also said that he is thankful to every single resident and to every single business in the state for understanding the severity of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He also said that he is thankful to everyone who has taken those necessary safety measures such as wearing protective face masks. His statement also reads that their collective actions which lasted for over two months have helped the state’s officials to finally start the Roadmap to Recovery Phase 2 which includes re-opening gaming businesses.

Before this statement, the state’s Governor Mr. Sisolak revealed in his public pre-Memorial Day press releases that as long as there is not a great spike in the number of new infections with COVID-19, he may allow the state’s land-based casinos to re-open starting from the 4^th of June. In this press release, he said that he will first discuss these options with health officials as well as with the main casino gaming governing body for the state of Nevada, the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Positive Data Trends

Since there was not a spike in the number of new COVID-19 infections in the state, the state’s casinos can finally resume their operations. There was a meeting held on the 26^th of May and here Steve Sisolak revealed that based on rather positive data trends or downward trends of COVID-19 infections in the Silver State, he let the Gaming Control Board’s officials know that he is rather confident in the re-opening target date set for the 4^th of June.

While discussing his further plans with the Gaming Control Board’s chair, he also mentioned a thirty-one-day sustainable and consistent downward trend in new infections with COVID-19 as well as downward trends in hospitalizations related to COVID-19 infections.

Back in March, the Gaming Control Board’s officials have established a series of safety and health guidelines in order to protect casino visitors as well as all employees and other included parties. At the conclusion of the latest workshop which was held by the Gaming Control Board that is responsible for the casino industry in the Silver State, Sandra Douglass Morgan who is the board’s Chairwoman said that the board would release another industry notice with some extra compliance requirements and rules that gaming business which re-open after the 4^th of June will have to follow.

Commenting on this, the state’s Governor said during the latest press call that agents and other employees of the Nevada Gaming Control Board will work hard to ensure that all of the rules and safety guidelines set by the board are being followed by gaming businesses as well as their customers. Needless to say, these guidelines will include wearing protective face masks, as well as practicing social distancing.

As reported last week, the major gaming regulatory body for the state of Louisiana has decided to allow twenty-three casinos in the state to re-open after several weeks of being shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The state is home to three tribal and twenty commercial casino venues which can finally open their doors from the 18^th of May. The venues can remain operational for as long as they follow strict safety and protection regulations and guidelines as established by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

Needless to say, the still ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused extremely severe financial and economic disruption across all industries and the casino industry has not been excluded from this devastating, negative trend. The coronavirus pandemic has also caused the biggest global recession after the Great Depression while it has also led to cancellation and postponements of religious, sports, cultural and political events.

When it comes to the casino industry in the state of Louisiana, it is the fifth most profitable industry of this kind in the state. While many of its casinos are re-opening in the following days, one casino is closing for good, the DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel located in Bossier City, the state of Louisiana. According to the casino’s owners and officials, the casino is closing for good due to financial difficulties and business disruptions which were caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel by Peninsula Pacific

The DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel venue located in Bossier City is operated and owned by Peninsula Pacific which is a holding company operating from its Los Angeles office. The venue opened its doors to the public for the first time on the 20^th of May 1994 and unfortunately, it is closing for good just several days before its twenty-sixth anniversary.

According to several local news outlets, all of the property’s employees have been notified about the venue’s closure in advance and fortunately, all of them can apply to receive unemployment benefits. It was also revealed that their final paycheck should be issued on the 22^nd of May. Commenting on the news about DiamondJacks Hotel and Casino closing permanently, the venue’s Vice President Diana Thornton said that unforeseeable conditions in the casino market caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced the venue’s owner and management to make the most difficult decision and close the property.

She also added that the management team for DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel has worked rather hard to overcome emerging financial difficulties, but unfortunately, one of the longest-standing businesses in this area of the state will shut down permanently.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board Following Decisions

On their part, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board’s Chairman Ronnie Jones said that the major health crisis related to the coronavirus pandemic has passed so the board will start working on determining the negative impact of the casino’s closure on the state’s casino market. In the following days, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board will also decide what will happen with Peninsula Pacific’s casino license that is one of the state’s fifteen max licenses granted to riverboat casinos.

According to one local news outlet, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board will very soon engage in other important decisions related to the closed property’s physical assets. In other words, key shareholders of DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel will work on another closure plan which will revolve around the property’s vendors and physical assets. What is known for sure so far is that the property will be properly maintained throughout the entire closure process.