The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on gaming venues are the world and might only get worse before it gets better. That’s where we’ll start our weekly tour of the major casino headlines:
Oregon Casino Closes After Suspected Case Of Coronavirus
We’ve already seen what kind of damage the coronavirus can do to the casino industry as Macau revenues were down about 90% in February. Now we’re just starting to get a taste of what kind of impact it can have in North America.
On Tuesday, a tribal casino in Mission, Oregon has closed its doors for the time being after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. To safeguard from the virus spreading to other employees or customers, the casino has closed the gaming floor, the convention center, the hotel itself, the cineplex, the children’s entertainment area as well as all restaurants.
Any activities that were also planned to go down have been canceled until further notice. At this point, there is no indication as to when the Wildhorse Casino and Resort will reopen.
Hopefully the United States and the Center for Disease Control can get this virus under grasp. It continues to spread, though, which means it might only be a matter of time before other casinos are also forced to go this route.
King’s Casino Bans Italian Players Due To Coronovirus Concerns
Building on the first story, the second is a headline coming out Europe’s largest poker room in the King’s Casino in Rozavadov, Czech Republic. On Monday, the casino announced via their Facebook page that they will not be allowing players from the country of Italy into the casino. The home of the World Series of Poker Europe is concerned about the spread of the virus, which has spread rapidly in Italy.
In case you aren’t up to speed on the Italian response to the coronavirus outbreak, Italy has closed all schools, cinemas and theaters, and banned all public events. Just today, the country reported 587 new cases, pushing them to 3089 overall with 1346 hospitalized. So far, only 276 people have recovered buy 107 have died, which is a higher death rate than what we’ve seen reported from the World Health Organization.
What’s interesting with banning Italian players is it’s unclear how the King’s Casino is going to screen for them. They’ll likely go by ID when entering the casino but we’ll have to see if that’s enough to prevent Italians from entering – and the spread of the virus.
Man Charged After Stealing $42,000 From MGM National Harbor Winner
A winning night for two players at the MGM National Harbor casino turned into a nightmare when they were robbed and shot by three men.
Hours after a couple of male gamblers hit it big at the blackjack table at MGM National Harbor and took the casino for a $42,000 payday, they were followed, then robbed by three masked men. They were both pistol-whipped and one of the men was shot and wounded.
As of now, Javontae Renard Smallwood is already in police custody while his other two accomplices are still on the run from the charges.