"If we incrementally reopen, we might have to pull back if a spike in cases occurs that jeopardizes our healthcare system capacity," Wynn CEO Matt Maddox writes. "However, the only way to cross this river is one stone at a time, and we need to put our feet in the water before it is too late," suggesting he is keen on taking a chance and then recalibrating as necessary.
CNN) — It's been a little over a month since the celebrated Las Vegas Strip went dark. The move, like much of the business practices surrounding Covid-19, was unprecedented.
But now, in what appears to be another unprecedented move, the CEO of Wynn Resorts -- not the Nevada government -- is calling for parts of Nevada to reopen in May.
In an opinion piece published Sunday night in The Nevada Independent, Wynn CEO Matt Maddox says that Nevada Gov. Stephen Sisolak should reopen the state's struggling economy, which he says is "likely be one of the hardest-hit states in the nation."
Maddox goes on to outline a comprehensive plan for what he calls an incremental reopening, which includes wearing masks, increasing testing and monitoring data. Social distancing behaviors would be enforced.
"If we incrementally reopen, we might have to pull back if a spike in cases occurs that jeopardizes our healthcare system capacity," Maddox writes. "However, the only way to cross this river is one stone at a time, and we need to put our feet in the water before it is too late," suggesting he is keen on taking a chance and then recalibrating as necessary.
Wynn Resorts was among the very first of the Las Vegas resorts to close. At the time of the closure, 15,000 Wynn Resort employees were asked to stay home and be paid for 60 days of work.
In his plea to the Nevada governor, Maddox notes the cost of the closure and the company's decision to pay both full and part-time employees, including money for estimated tips: $3 million per day or $180 million for two months.
The decision to shut down the casino came two weeks before Gov. Sisolak issued a stay-at-home order for the state. This directive came several weeks after dozens of other states ordered residents to stay home and all but essential businesses to close.
Maddox's statement also follows protests around the country pushing for the reopening of the economy.
Wynn Resorts could not immediately be reached for comment.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/wynn-ceo-las-vegas-strip-plan-to-reopen/index.html
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The executives have also discussed allowing small businesses off of the Strip to open first, and opening facilities nearby so that all casino workers and possibly tourists could get tested for the coronavirus. Gamblers would sit at least a chair apart at blackjack tables. Some major casino properties are accepting reservations for May 1 arrivals with the caveat that the date could be changed by further restrictions from the governor’s office.
Casino executives from rival companies are informally discussing what Las Vegas will look like when one of the largest U.S. tourist destinations reopens to guests.
The deliberations have included potentially allowing small businesses off of the famous Strip to open first, so that locals could get back to work, according to people familiar with the talks cited by Bloomberg. The executives have also discussed opening facilities nearby so that all casino workers — and perhaps even tourists — could get tested for the coronavirus.
The city would open its casinos with as little as one-third of their rooms available. Entrances would be limited, and guests’ temperatures would be checked with noninvasive methods. Casino employees would wear masks and gloves, and gamblers would sit at least a chair apart at blackjack tables.
The moves are similar to what is already occurring in Macau, the world’s largest gambling market, where casinos closed for 15 days in February and reopened under tight restrictions.
The companies are also discussing enhanced cleaning techniques, something unions have requested. “We’re asking the companies to have more cleaning everywhere — the rooms, casino, special teams to work with new chemicals,” Geoconda Arguello-Kline, secretary-treasurer of Culinary Workers Union Local 226, said last week. The casinos “have to have more people, so the people can have the area more clean.”
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, ordered all casinos in the state to close for 30 days in mid-March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He extended that order until April 30, but on Tuesday said the state wasn’t even close to ending the restrictions.
“This is not going to be a political decision for me, as for when to open,” he said. “I don’t have an exact number. I’ll take a lot of advice from our medical folks and determine what’s in the best interest of keeping all Nevadans safe.”
While Nevada has dozens of casinos, a handful of operators, including MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts, dominate the action on the Las Vegas Strip.
A call to Harrah’s-Las Vegas last week found that all of Caesars properties in Las Vegas, which includes Harrah’s-Las Vegas, The LINQ Hotel & Casino, Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, and The Cromwell, are taking reservations for May 1, as reported by Laughlin Nevada Times.
A call to MGM properties, which include Bellagio (owned by The Blackstone Group and leased by MGM Resorts International), CityCenter (50% joint venture with Dubai World), Aria Resort & Casino, Vdara, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Delano Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand Garden Arena, The Mirage, New York-New York, also are accepting reservations for May 1 arrivals with the same caveat that the date could be changed by further restrictions from the governor’s office.
Estimates put the state’s revenue losses up to a potential $40 billion in lost gaming revenue and transversely the tax revenue from that amount which would go to Nevada. The gaming industry is Nevada’s leading source for tax base revenue, followed by tourism and the mining industry, and the loss of those gaming revenues could spell some hard times for Nevada if the closures continue much longer.
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