Las Vegas casino will return to normal, says Hard Rock boss. Hard Rock International chairman Jim Allen said in “Mornings with Maria” on Tuesday Las Vegas casinos will return to normal operations.
The executive expects casino entertainment demand to pick up right up. While on 31 August MGM Resorts International was forced to lay off 18,000 workers and the coronavirus at the moment made a complete recovery unlikely, Allen’s optimism seems unshakable.
Commenting on a possible “ripple effect” out of the pandemic, Allen said his fellow executives felt the long-term market was coming back. As the key explanation, Allen once again cited the confidence people have in air travel.
Allen argued that Las Vegas was doing well even in the current scenario, given that the city is heavily dependent on its gaming industry. He noted that the operations of Hard Rock International in Florida and Ohio have remained high for the July and August months.
Thanks to a go-ahead by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Atlantic City is finally reopening its indoor dining including in hotel and casino resorts, giving a strong boost to the gaming industry, which relies on such amenities to drive a bigger visitation rate. Smoking and dining was suspended on June 30.
Allen admitted that the company hasn’t seen the same return on investment (ROI) it had expected, but overall, numbers were rapidly going up. The executive acknowledged that there had been challenges. By July 2020, gaming revenue in Nevada had declined by 26.2% the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB)reported.
