Since March 2020, the Las Vegas land-based casino industry has been particularly hard hit by the international health crisis. Due to the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, all establishments in the city were forced to close their doors, along with those across the entire state of Nevada, for more than 11 weeks during the spring of 2020.
And after finally being allowed to welcome players back, they struggled to attract visitors due to strict health measures and a lack of international tourists. As a result, last November, some Strip resorts opted to close their hotels from Monday to Thursday.
As the city’s situation seems to be improving a little, some have just announced that they will once again remain open 24/7. This is the case of Mandalay Bay, the Mirage and Park MGM starting Wednesday, March 3.
A decision taken in November due to a lack of tourists
During the second half of last November, the MGM Resorts International group was forced to face the facts. While its hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip managed to attract gamblers on weekends, they remained relatively empty during the week. This is precisely why the operator decided to close the Mandalay Bay , Mirage, and Park MGM hotels between Monday and Thursday.
This announcement came in part following the release of figures from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. In October 2020, there were only 1.98 million registered travelers, representing an 87% decrease compared to the same period last year.
>>> Also read: » Covid-19 forces casino closures in the United States «
Some glimmers of hope for the casino world
The vaccination campaign is currently in full swing in the United States. Several million Americans have already received their shots. As a result, restrictions continue to be eased. This has affected the results of the Strip’s casinos. As a result, gross bookings in January were the highest since the start of the pandemic.
The city’s establishments can also count on an increase in capacity. Indeed, restrictions imposed on Nevada casinos ended on Monday, February 15. The state’s Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, announced that gaming complexes could increase their capacity from 25% to 35%.
A complete reopening from March 3, 2021
This optimistic climate has just prompted the MGM Resorts International group to review its policy of closing some of its properties. Thus, on Wednesday, February 17, it announced that the Mandalay Bay, Mirage, and Park MGM hotels would once again be open 24/7, starting Wednesday, March 3.
This decision is the result of an increase in tourists to Las Vegas, the success of the vaccination campaign, and the decrease in the number of Covid-19 infections. It also allows the casino operator to remain optimistic about the resumption of activity in this Nevada city.
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