Life after casinos; Sheldon is george

“The situation continues to evolve and will escalate rapidly and dramatically. These are unprecedented actions in an extraordinary situation, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe.” So said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday, ordered the indefinite closure of the Free State’s seven casinos. Cordish Gaming CEO David Cordish tried to push back, complaining that bars, restaurants, etc. remained open as his Maryland Live went dead. Cordish’s myopic push backfired, as Hogan simply extended the closings to more public venues. When business does return to some semblance of normal, Maryland casinos give us an idea of what we can expect: fewer seats at table games, fewer slots.

Cordish employees will be paid for two weeks but then … ? Hogan’s edict is open-ended. As Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Agency spokeswoman Carole Bober Gentry said, “As this situation evolves, the governor needs to remain flexible and, therefore, has not set dates or deadlines. He continues to take every precaution to help slow the outbreak of coronavirus, and is trying to balance the interests of the business community with the need for safety among the citizens of Maryland.”

In a surrealistic exemption to the gaming ban, horse racing has continued, to empty grandstands, at Laurel Park and Rosecroft Raceway. It is said that this peculiar form of the sport of kings will continue “for the foreseeable future.”

* Tribal casinos have had a somewhat ragged response to Covid-19. In Wisconsin, Ho-Chunk Madison closed Tuesday morning, while Ho-Chunk Wisconsin Dells waited until last night. Giant Potowatomi Hotel & Casino also suspended business this week. Defying common sense, Oklahoma casinos are staying open. The rationale is that there have been no presumptive cases of Coronavirus among them. And the two biggies in Connecticut, Foxwoods Resorts Casino and Mohegan Sun, have finally heeded Gov. Ned Lamont‘s call for a shutdown on 8 p.m. Tuesday. Foxwoods has never been closed in 28 years, Mohegan Sun never in 24. “This is a humbling reflection on the ongoing public health crisis and it is the right decision,” Mashantucket Pequot Chairman Rodney Butler said. Added Mohegan Tribe Chairman James Gessner, “This is a decision that was made to ensure all of our guests, team members, and our partners across Connecticut, especially in our local communities, remain safe. We are successful if the state is successful, and that’s true in all facets, like public health.”

* Just before the good times ended, Pennsylvania sports books posted $330 million in handle last month, putting it in the top three sports-betting states in the U.S. All that handle translated into just under $5 million in revenue. A $3 million loss on the Super Bowl ($31 million in handle) was among the culprits. 89% of the wagering was done online, led by Valley Forge FanDuel sports book with $138.5 million. Rivers Casino Philadelphia had the most popular walk-up sports book.

As PlayPennsylvania.com puts it with elegant understatement, “That revenue will be difficult to replace over the next few weeks.” Or, as analyst Dustin Gouker elaborates, “Revenue from online casinos should help fill in the gaps, at least in part, while sportsbooks and land-based casinos feel the impact from COVID-19. In New Jersey, online casino revenue already tops $50 million per month, and revenue could really leap forward in Pennsylvania, too. But it will be impossible to completely replace all the revenue lost from the sports world going dark … In fact, Pennsylvania was on track to reach $4 billion in lifetime handle by the beginning of the NFL season. But it would take a quick recovery from the coronavirus outbreak to reach that milestone now.”

Could e-sports fill the vacuum? It’s already happening in China. Said e-sports boffin Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau, “Traditional sports leagues are shutting down, and people are staying home both for work and entertainment. Those two major things lead directly to watching and participating in the video game industry.” He added, “Crowds in recent events have been awesome for e-sports, but e-sports have been playing without crowds for a long time. E-sports has a huge advantage in that they can continue competition.” After all, with TV networks having huge blocks of airtime intended for traditional sports suddenly vacant, e-sports is a not-uncreative way to fill them. We’re sure the DraftKings and FanDuels of the world would be quick to capitalize. In the meantime, idled pro teams like the Phoenix Suns are playing—get this—simulated games in video form, streaming them on Twitch. We don’t know if you can legitimately bet on this but are sure someone will try.

* Closure of Atlantic City‘s casinos for an indefinite period of time has idled 26,761 employees, who can only count on two weeks’ pay to tide them over during the crisis. Judging from on-the-scene reports, the closing may not have come a day too soon. Reports the Philadelphia Inquirer, “at Caesars on Sunday, gamblers were shoulder to shoulder around craps tables, and cocktail servers carried trays of drinks around the casino floors.” One of those employees felt that Gov. Phil Murphy (D) was too slow to act: “We are not six feet from customers. Why is our health unimportant?” Borgata is one of the casinos under fire for not acting sooner, after three employees in the table-game pit displayed Coronavirus symptoms. As late as Sunday some casinos were advising customers that it would be business as usual.

“When we checked in, they said we’d probably never close the casinos, because people wanted to gamble no matter what,” said player Eleanor Whissen. There’s truth in that, according to podcaster Justin Vacula, who reported “Patrons are eager, however, playing before the impending closure,” especially in the poker rooms.

* In Mississippi, kudos to MGM Resorts International for being ahead of the curve, closing Beau Rivage and Gold Strike Tunica before being told to. “We will work to mitigate the impact this will have on our employees, partners and communities,”said MGM President Bill Hornbuckle. While Mississippi casinos are being evaluated by state regulators on a daily basis, the indefinite closure is flexible enough that hotels and restaurants can remain open. One casino, IP Biloxi, opted for a full shutdown however. Even card rooms in California are starting to get the message, albeit not in sufficient numbers.

* “George” of the month is Sheldon Adelson, who is vowing to pay all his workforce for the duration of Gov. Steve Sisolak‘s 30-day casino shutdown. “All full time and full time flex, and hourly Team Members will be paid a minimum of 32 hours a week, whether working on the schedule, working from home or are just not scheduled and confined to home,” stated Las Vegas Sands. There will even be a special provision made for tipped employees. No unpaid furloughs will be mandated and health benefits will remain in place. Jobless claims in Nevada, meanwhile, have ballooned from 70,000 to 281,000.

* Little Darlings strip club in Las Vegas has come up with its forms of economic stimulus. In addition to what are called “drive-thru lap dances” (Where’s the fun in that?) it’s offering “Nude hand sanitizer wrestling.” It may not be erotic but it’s sure to be salubrious.

* For anybody out there who still doesn’t believe Covid-19 is serious business, Massachusetts alone has 256 confirmed cases and another 1,168 people in quarantine. The Bay State has only been able to perform 2,271 tests. The elite are self-quarantining on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, somewhat to the resentment of full-time residents.

* Showing that Coronavirus is no respecter of party lines, it has infected both Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R) and Rep. Ben McAdams (D). We wish both of these dedicated public servants a speedy recovery.