Las Vegas is sickly; Local heroes

As though Las Vegas weren’t reeling already from Coronavirus comes a bulletin that it’s one of America’s 25 worst cities for spring allergies. (Tell me about it!) As though one’s immune system weren’t compromised enough. Sin City clocks in a #14 on the worst-allergies list, which is led by Richmond, Virginia. Cities with high concentrations of casinos and allergens are Oklahoma City (#9), Pittsburgh (#10), Buffalo (#17) and Providence (#18). The ranking “is based on a total score, which includes seasonal pollen measures, over-the-counter allergy medication use, and number of allergy specialists.” It’s said that spring allergies “can cause sneezing, stuffy and runny nose, watery eyes, as well as itchy nose, eyes, and mouth,” which precisely describes how I feel these days. All the more reason for social distancing!

* Nevada‘s hotel industry is taking a hard hit from Covid-19 and that was before Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) shut all the hostelries. In terms of direct jobs, 85,130 have been lost, with an estimated 161,400 in indirect, support jobs gone. Says hotelier Leah Harrison, “Our occupancy has gone from 100% to 10% occupancy a night. We are a smaller hotel with 88
employees and now we are a staff of 8 [people]. Please help us keep our city safe and pass ordinances that house payments, car payments and other bills will be waived until this pandemic is put to rest.” You’ll notice that Ms. Harrison is not singing off the American Gaming Association hymnal that the resort industry be reopened forthwith (never mind whether people want to patronize it or not). The federal government, however, seems more preoccupied with poll numbers than protocols and is warbling AGA-style about going back to business as usual sooner rather than (as would be advisable) later.

Of course, the Nevada quarantine is doing quite a number on Las Vegas restaurants. “We only to fight to stay open if it is in compliance with the rules of the Nevada governor,” said FukuBurger owner Colin Fukunaga. “Most of the employees’ parents have lost their jobs and are now the bread winners in the house. We are definitely losing money. But if we can manage to get near break even, it’s worth it to help.” A similar civic spirit is manifested by The Black Sheep chef Jaime Tran, who says, “I’m trying to support my staff. I wanted to give them some hours so that they can have some income coming in. Any profit that’s coming each day, it’s going straight to the employees.” Keep up the good work.

Meanwhile, Coronavirus has struck Henderson‘s Booze District, where an employee of Bad Beat Brewery tested positive for the disease—a bad beat, indeed. According to Eater Vegas, “Bad Beat had been earning a buzz for its carefully controlled system allowing customers to drive up, honk their horn, and be greeted by staff dressed in fun costumes to take orders for its to-go ‘growlers.’ Followed by a ‘sani spritz to each car’ and sanitizing the menu after each purchase, all growlers were later washed and sanitized, ‘inside and out.'”

* Bravo, MGM Resorts International. The company has donated $1 million to the MGM Employee Emergency Grant Fund and 400,000 meals to domestic food banks. The fund “will offer support to employees who are impacted by the new coronavirus and are experiencing hardships because of it.” There’s a “george” in action.

* Maybe it’s just as well that the slow-moving pace of Japanese casino legalization couldn’t get gaming up and running in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: They’ve been postponed “at least” a year. Also, casino trade show ICE North America, which was to be held in New Orleans on May 13-4 has been bumped to spring 2021. Said Clarion Gaming Managing Director Kate Chambers, “Having consulted with the industry, my team and I will be paying close attention to the speed with which the virus is contained. Clearly this is an extremely dynamic situation … These are unprecedented times and our sincere best wishes go to all of our stakeholders both in the United States and throughout world gaming.” (emphasis added)

* Even the most laggard casino owner who didn’t close for Coronavirus until he was forced to is far less selfish than Hobby Lobby owner David Green, who says God told his wife to keep the stores open and make employees “tighten their belts.” What an ass. We can’t think of one casino owner remotely as greedy as Green.