MGM Resorts announces temporary closure of Las Vegas casinos

MGM Resorts International has confirmed the temporary closure of its Las Vegas casino properties due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The firm’s Nevada casinos will cease trading on Monday and its hotel operations will halt soon after, with the suspension taking full effect from Tuesday, March 17.

“As the coronavirus pandemic has intensified in the United States over the past week, the people of MGM Resorts have worked to try to find a way to continue delivering high quality hospitality and entertainment experiences for our guests while keeping our employees doing the jobs they love in a safe environment,” MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren said in a statement.

“Welcoming people from around the world is what we do, and our employees have tremendous pride in their work.

“Despite our commitment to dedicating additional resources for cleaning and promoting good health, while making difficult decisions to close certain aspects of our operations, it is now apparent that this is a public health crisis that requires major collective action if we are to slow its progression.

“Accordingly, we will close all of our Las Vegas properties as of Tuesday, March 17, for the good of our employees, guests and communities.

“This is a time of uncertainty across our country and the globe and we must all do our part to curtail the spread of this virus.

“We will plan to reopen our resorts as soon as it is safe to do so and we will continue to support our employees, guests, and communities in every way that we can during this period of closure.”

MGM also confirmed that its Las Vegas hotels would not be taking any reservations for arrivals prior to May 1 this year.

The company operates eight casinos in the gambling mecca of the United States: Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Mirage, and New York-New York.