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Nevada Casinos Have Their Max Capacity Cut to 25% As Part of ‘Statewide Pause’ Measures

Article by : Helen Dec 10, 2020

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All good things come to an end, and so did the relatively relaxed guidelines for Nevada’s casinos and restaurants, among other high-risk venues. On November 24, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak’s order for “a statewide pause” measures came into effect in another attempt to slow down the coronavirus spread. Casinos and other establishments can now be operating at only a 25% occupancy rate.

“We are on a rapid trajectory that threatens to overwhelm our healthcare system, our frontline health workers, and your access to care. So it’s time to act,” said Sisolak. He also added there is no intention to become “the mask police” behind the restrictions, as the face mask mandate has been tightened to include gym visitors and even private gatherings’ participants.

These measures are expected to last three weeks. However, there is always a possibility that they will be prolonged, should the situation with the daily new COVID-19 infection cases remain threatening to overwhelm the state’s healthcare system. Gov. Sisolak is set to reevaluate whether the new measures are needed and effective and make a decision to relax or tighten them when the three-week period runs out. In the frame of the “statewide pause,” restaurants are allowed to serve only the customers that reserved a table beforehand. In other words, no walk-ins are accepted. Only up to four guests can be seated at one table. As of December 1, the state of Nevada has a total of 152,171 COVID-19 cases and 2,144 deaths. Daily new cases have been climbing up since the beginning of November, with more than 2,000 new cases being confirmed every day since November 23.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board published an emergency directive on its website relaying the new restrictions. Gov. Sisolak has also stated the Board is going to inspect the venues to ensure the new guidelines are being followed: “I can assure you the full force of the Nevada Gaming Control Board will be behind the implementation and enforcement of the 25% requirement. If they don’t follow them, they will suffer the consequences as delineated by the Gaming Control Board.”

Since summer, casinos, restaurants, and other venues were allowed to operate at a 50% capacity. Before that, they were also shut down from mid-March until early June, which was a hard blow to the state’s economy that is heavily dependent on these industries. Gov. Sisolak’s “statewide pause” seems to be an attempt to keep businesses open at least in some way, shape, or form and avoid another shutdown. It is a no-brainer that closing down businesses that have already suffered substantial financial losses this year is likely to be even more devastating for the state’s economy than the first shutdown.

Our casinos, hotels, restaurants, and bars are open with strict restrictions so that we can protect our economy. Weighing the loss of jobs and businesses versus the loss of health and lives is painful, without a perfect solution.

October’s financial results of the casino industry were quite promising: Nevada’s casinos pulled in $822.7 million in revenues, a slight improvement from September’s $821.13 million. Even though the month-on-month increase isn’t huge, October is still the strongest month for the industry since February before the casinos were forced to shut down. Quarterly results also looked better for 3Q20 compared to 2Q20: the year-on-year revenue decline shrunk from -80.53% to -23.56%. However, in the light of the new restrictions, it remains to be seen whether Nevada casino industry will be able to continue the slow recovery – or the year-on-year revenue comparisons will plummet again.