Massachusetts gamblers are night owls. When Gov. Charlie Baker (R) ordered casinos to close at 9:30 p.m. it took a big bite out of November revenues, particularly Encore Boston Harbor, which makes half its revenue after dark. At least you can gamble in Massachusetts still (albeit at reduced capacity). Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) has shut down both of Bally‘s two Twin River-branded casinos. As for the Bay State, MGM Springfield took it pretty hard, falling 40% to $10.5 million, with table game revenue more than halved. Percentage-wise, Plainridge Park suffered least, off 25% for a $7.5 million gross. Encore tumbled 35%, grossing $47 million, with only $15.5 million of that derived from the slots. As for what to expect in Massachusetts casino, the Boston Globe reports that they “have spent large sums of money preparing their facilities to operate during a pandemic. Visible measures include plexiglass dividers, aggressive cleaning of gambling equipment, and stringent enforcement of mask-wearing requirements. Massachusetts casinos also have state inspectors on scene monitoring compliance with health regulations.”
“Healthcare workers and other high priority individuals” equals tens of millions of people, half of adults over 40 or so have significant comorbidities, including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and autoimmune disease. If we as a country can get that done by March, its an accomplishment, a Herculean feat when you consider the logistics… There are going to be bumps in the road, there is a significant segment of our population that will troll and work to undermine this effort, buckle up. If the Johnson and Johnson vaccine proves as effective as the first two, it will be a boon, its a one shot vaccine that can be stored in normal freezers. The casino industry will get a boost come Spring of 2021, people will endure the restrictions that will still be in place, conventions won’t come back for some time, but people like myself will feel jazzed to step out when the needle sticks us…
Here is an interesting quote attributed to Vladimir Lenin: “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” That is a good description of the last nine months so good riddance to 2020. What a crazy horrible year.