Australian casinos close amid surge in Covid-19 cases


The casino industry in Australia is the latest sector to be hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, after the government ordered a closure due to the sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
As of last night, Australia has recorded a total of 1,709 cases.
Starting from yesterday, the Australian federal government ordered a shutdown of casinos, bars and clubs as part of its measure to deter the spread of the pandemic outbreak. Restaurants and cafes will be able to serve take-away and home-delivered food only.
Cinemas, indoor sporting venues as well as places of worship were also ordered to be closed.
According to reports, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Australians should expect the closures to last for at least six months.
Crown Resorts made a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange on Sunday, noting that its hotels in Melbourne and Perth will remain open. However, its gaming tables and restaurants will shut down in line with the government’s requirements.
Last week, Wynn Resorts Ltd.’s Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Penn National Gaming’s Plainridge Park Casino closed their doors to the public. Las Vegas Sands has also closed its Venetian and Palazzo resorts in Las Vegas until at least April 1.
In Macau, casino operators underwent an unprecedented closure for 15 days from February 5 – recording the longest closure on record and only the second such instance, after a typhoon in 2018 forced a 33-hour shutdown.
The closure has led to or coincided with a significant loss of business – all while companies have had to keep paying staff and maintaining their properties.
The 15-day closure of the casinos in the Macau SAR has led to a gross gaming revenue plunge of 87.8% from a year earlier in February. Macau revenue amounted to 3.1 billion patacas in February, having fallen to levels not seen in more than 15 years. LV

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