Unrest on the Strip; Boyd tightens belt

Maybe Coronavirus can’t keep people away from Las Vegas but we think we’ve found one thing that will: civil unrest. A pair of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters found themselves in the line of fire when Las Vegas Metro launched a fusillade of rubber bullets and tear gas on protesters marching north on the Las Vegas Strip. It was one of the latest of many, many such shows of public ire since the choking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Or, as one protester told the R-J, “It has now become a crime in America to be black.” (A smaller demonstration in Summerlin went off peacefully.)  Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford defended Metro’s actions—which included calling out SWAT—by asking, “Are they perfect? Absolutely not. We have work to do, we absolutely do.”

Police themselves were bombarded with projectiles, including frozen water bottles. The Strip disturbance (one hesitates to call it a riot) follows a similar, more-violent one in Downtown the day before. The weekend of clashes moved Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (I) to call a news conference to say, “Las Vegas must continue to work as one to prove it is a model of what being one people can truly tell the world. We must strive and work to be the truly caring and compassionate home for all peoples equally and together.” (Holding the conference at Metro HQ may not have been the best choice for promoting unity.) Casinos along Sunday’s route included Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Tropicana Las Vegas and Bellagio (the northern terminus of the march). One wonders if potential tourists now have visions of picketers parading past their resort of choice.

Such iconic use of the Strip is not without precedent in the Civil Rights movement. It was a threat to rally local African-Americans and “shut down the Strip” that brought casino owners to the peace table. Desegregation of the casinos followed, ending several disgraceful chapters in Sin City’s history. Given the violence that has erupted in other cities, one hopes that reason prevails in Las Vegas. If it’s really a haven of diversity in what is clearly a racially polarized America, it’s time for Big Gaming’s rubber to hit the road.

* There are those who seem to think the American economy can be switched on and off light a lamp. None of them work at Boyd Gaming. In a remarkable abundance of caution, Boyd sent out a pair of WARN Act notices to two of its Rust Belt workforces. You don’t want to get a WARN letter because it’s basically a warning that your job is toast. In an e-mail obtained by S&G, Boyd informs workers at Belterra Casino Resort in southern Indiana, “Because of mandatory closures, guest limitations imposed by various regulatory authorities, and overall economic conditions due to the pandemic, Boyd Gaming anticipates that it will conduct permanent layoffs that may impact between 25% and 60% of team members … we now reasonably expect the current furlough may last longer than six months from the date it began.” Non-union employees will be the first to go. A list of the departments affected is appended and security could really take it in the neck. Ditto night-shift dealers. But the pain is pretty widespread.

At least if you work at Belterra Resort you may still have a job. No such luck for employees of Belterra Park racino in Ohio. Boyd has notified the state that it may terminate all 361 employees. In other words, Boyd is considering closing up shop altogether. Belterra Park has never brought much revenue to Boyd and might be described as a throw-in to the latter’s acquisition of several surplus Penn National Gaming properties. At any rate, this is radical stuff and tells you how glumly Boyd views the economy going forward.