Tough times keeping at least five Clark County casinos closed

The COVID-19 pandemic has really affected the Southern Nevada gambling industry. In 2020, several casino destinations were forced to close down as the pandemic was spreading fast in the US. But now, businesses are starting to open up, and casinos are resuming some of their activities. However, in Clark County, five casinos are not going to reopen anytime soon.

The North Las Vegas City Council allowed Station Casinos – an entertainment company – to keep Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station closed till June 2023. This is not the first extension given to Station Casinos. The Henderson City Council had allowed the company in January to close down the Fiesta Henderson property until December 31, 2022.

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Apart from these Station Casinos’ properties, Golden Entertainment’s Colorado Belle in Laughlin and Eastside Cannery, which is operated by Boyd Gaming, will also remain closed. This is even after casinos in Clark County recorded an $11.4 billion in revenue in 2021. The county’s upstream gambling revenue has also been witnessed in the first few months of 2022, as it was reported that the industry broke the 1B threshold every month since the year began.

Even though these closures have a negative impact, they are quite understandable since the companies changed locations and transferred their employees to other businesses. Also, some staff members were lost, others were laid-off, and some voluntarily left due to fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gambling industry is slowly getting back into business, with some resorts opening up to the public and allowing activities to resume. So, it’s quite strange that these five Clark County casinos are not reopening anytime soon. This affects the demand for gambling activities in this Southern Nevada county. However, some business owners have stated that the decision not to reopen the casinos is due to the tough economic times and the need to contain costs.