Nevada begins reopening sooner than expected

What do brothels and casinos have in common? (Some would say you get screwed in both.) Neither can reopen during Phase One of Gov. Steve Sisolak‘s multi-stage resumption of business as usual in Nevada, starting tomorrow. Most of the continuing closures make sense as they include things like gyms (think of all that sweat in the air), bars that don’t serve food, public pools, live entertainment, movie theaters, zoos, aquariums, bowling alleys, miniature golf, ‘adult entertainment establishments,’ spas and tattoo parlors, among others. Compared to many of those types of businesses, casinos seem as safe as a nursery ward. For the first time we’re beginning to think gaming is getting a bum rap.

Business that did make the grade for reopening include restaurants (at 50% capacity), barber shops and hair salons, provided there is social distancing. Now we’re overdue for a haircut but how do you maintain ‘social distancing’ with a barber breathing down your neck? The 50-percent rule also applies to retail, including grocery stores. Most importantly for some of our readers, cannabis stores will be allowed to resume service, although curbside deliver is still encouraged. Some changes of lifestyle will include no beverage self-service in restaurants and no more waiting for your table indoors. Hair and nail care will be by appointment only—which might constitute an improvement—and customers should wear facemarks “to the extent practicable.” Open-air malls are fair game to reopen, indoor ones are not. And you can resuming test-driving new cars but without that pesky salesman riding shotgun. Sisolak courted the stoner vote during his run for office and the marijuana industry gets a chit in the form of having the discretion to turn away any customer not wearing a face mask. We’d call that a solid.

Getting a little antsy (and looking mighty haggard), Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox pressed for a May 25 reopening of casinos. Now, if Coronavirus cases continue to trend downward, to the point where Sisolak can enact a phase a week, casinos might be open by Maddox’s deadline. But God forbid that public health should trump raking in that Memorial Day weekend business. Maddox allowed that “While I can’t guarantee that we’re going to be opening at the end of May, it is really dependent on the science and the data coming out. We are preparing for that eventuality.” The upside for Wynn employees is that a May 25 or even June 1 resumption of bidness means they wouldn’t miss a day of pay, a not-inconsiderable consideration. Given that Wynn has been the most proactive of the Big Four (with Caesars Entertainment ignominiously in the rear), a certain impatience on Maddox’s part can be forgiven.

(Maddox will “continue to monitor the situation in Massachusetts.” Alas, that’s about all he can do, as Coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire in the Bay State. Reopening Encore Boston Harbor within the months seems hopelessly optimistic and we suspect Maddox knows as much.)

With unemployment (which hit almost 15% on a national scale this week) swamping Nevada’s jobless-relief infrastructure, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman seized on this as a new excuse to make trouble. In Goodman’s simple-minded worldview, you flip a switch to ‘reopen’ the economy and—presto!—all the problems go away. She should try living in
the real world for a while. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas City Council is a hotbed of jingoism, filled with fellow cranks who have been listening to too much talk radio. “We’re not stupid. We’re Americans,” huffed xenophobic Stavros Anthony (frankly, we’ve seen a lot of ‘covidiocy’ rampant in America these last few weeks). Reading from a prepared jeremiad, Councilwoman Michele Fiore (the blonde having the good hair day) repeated a now-familiar trope: “Fear is a great way to control people, and make no mistake, if you are staying home for Nevada without underlying conditions, you are in fear and you are being controlled,” she said, impugning the courage of people who are behaving circumspectly. We’re less scared of Covid-19 than by the thought that Fiore is second in line to run the City of Las Vegas.

* Coronavirus has claimed another convention casualty. The Casino Marketing & Technology Conference, slated for July 14-16 at Caesars Palace, moves later (and downmarket) to Bally‘s Nov. 9-12. Speaking of which, we are reliably informed that Global Gaming Expo, normally a beehive of activity, is hanging by a thread: The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers is said to have serious reservations about proceeding with the autumn trade show, one of the biggest in gambling.

* Cashless gambling has been the coming thing in casinos for some time now and the present pandemic may force the issue. After all, handling crumbled dollar bills seems a bit squicky post-coved. But will players cling to old habits? Global Payments President Christopher Justice thinks not and predicts that “one-third of guests would return tomorrow.” That number rises to 53% over three months … if and when there’s a vaccine. ‘Convenience’ gaming will do even better, we suspect, which is either the up- or downside of the gaming industry having planted its flag in virtually every state, depending on how highly you value destination gambling or not.