When VitalVegas author Scott Roeben had the temerity to re-tweet the story, popinjay food critic John Curtas attacked him, sneering, “Oh no! People are enjoying themselves! We’ve got to do something!” Well, you just keep on “enjoying” yourself into an early grave, Mr. Curtas, because that’s where your cavalier attitude will get you. That gives you an idea of the hostility faced by reporters like Stutz and Roeben, who tell it like it is: Namely that, no, happy days are not here again.
Maybe the NGCB should head down Las Vegas Boulevard and check out protocols at the Flamingo. According to a trip report on Vegas Message Board, the casino floor was “crowded everyday.” (Whatever happened to 50% capacity?) “I had the executive suite. Couldn’t open the door Sunday morning because 2 guys and a girl where passed out in the hall way blocking it. Sunday when I went to my room from elevator 6 guys where [sic] doing lines off the god damn hallway carpet and smoking weed. I told them to do that crap in your room their [sic] is [sic] kids in this resort … Zero craps etiquette [at] the tables of course.” By contrast, Harrah’s Las Vegas was “empty” but remunerative: “turned $400 into $4950 in 3 hours over a combination of 4 games which saved my trip!” It looks like casino barons are trying to make up their Coronavirus losses with jacked-up table minimums. Our visitor saw the following: Bally’s $10; Paris-Las Vegas $15; The Linq $15; New York-New York $15; Excalibur $10; Flamingo $15/$25; Harrah’s $25 (!).
After pooh-poohing Covid-19 on national TV, Tilman Fertitta seems to have had an epiphany. He told CNBC, “Our only chance of staying open is the mask,” making his point by wearing one on Power Lunch (a Fertitta-friendly forum). “Then we’re going to really have an economic problem besides a lot of unhealthy, very sick people out there.” After admitting to have minimized the pandemic, Fertitta said, “I know 100 people that have it now” and that includes two of his kids, who have thankfully gotten well. As for customers of Tilman-owned establishment, if they flout mask orders, “I don’t have bouncers. No, I cannot make them wear it. But I can tell you this, they won’t be allowed back.” After a big Father’s Day weekend, Fertitta has seen a “pullback” in business but remains upbeat.
In a not-exactly-contradictory interview, Tilman tried to square his pro-mask position with favoring a wide-open economic resumption, citing the financial hardships of his workforce. We don’t know if Fertitta can have it both ways but he thinks recovery may not happen for seven or eight years, citing the Great Recession as a precedent. He says he didn’t retain Paycheck Protection Program money because he was afraid he’d be criticized—after all, the legislation wasn’t crafted to bail out plutocrats. (Just ask small gaming operators.) Evidently Donald Trump has enough time on his hands to discuss the NBA season at length with Fertitta, in between sales pitches for a federal bailout of the restaurant industry. Tilman’s tears for his workforce may be of the crocodile variety: He claimed his was doing 40,000 employees a “favor” by laying them off and even rescinded (but later recanted) paid time off for workers at his Post Oak Hotel. Given that he’s having to borrow money at 12% interest, a little self-pity by Fertitta—who is normally one of the most positive forces in the resort industry—is understandable.
The Nevada Lege caved to the Nevada Resort Association and quietly passed a bill immunizing the casino industry against Covid-19 litigation. The Culinary Union looked the other way but did take a victory lap over the passage of SB 4, the Adolfo Fernandez Bill (named after a Caesars Palace porter who died of Coronavirus). It enshrines in law the following Culinary demands:
“Enhanced cleaning procedures such as daily room cleaning. Social distancing. Free testing for all workers before going back to work or those that have been exposed to COVID-19. Paid time off while workers are in quarantine and/or while waiting for COVD-19 test results. Any worker who tests positive for COVID-19 will be allowed a minimum of 14 days off, including 10 paid days. Temperature-checks for workers at the workplace. Detailed plans of action for when a worker contracts COVID-19 or is exposed to someone with the virus. Safety training for all employees. Local and state health officials must regularly inspect resort hotels every two months for compliance with health standards, and for hotels with more than 200 rooms, inspections will take place every three months.”
We’re not sure Culinary members will be thrilled with the tradeoff but we’re convinced Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline will sell it as a necessary evil.
Jottings: Could the Covid-infested St. Louis Cardinals be hanging out in casinos in their spare time, to the detriment of their health? Cards analyst Jerry Hairston Jr. made that diagnosis, although he didn’t point the finger of blame at any particular gambling hall (St. Louis has plenty) … Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), one of the most conscientious chief executives in the U.S., has tested positive for Coronavirus. We wish him a speedy recovery … To recap a big story from yesterday, Station Casinos CEO Frank Fertitta III told investors “We don’t know if, or when, we’re going to reopen any of the closed properties,” (emphasis added). Who could ever imagine a captain of the casino industry floating the idea of permanently shuttering four casinos? This also drives a stake through the heart of long-suffering Durango Station and probably RRR’s Reno property as well.
