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Today, our dear readers, we want to raise a sore subject for many of us – coronavirus. Yes, 2020 took us by surprise, when the first news about COVID-19 appear in the global news, let’s say honestly most of us were thinking that the virus stays in the mainland China only, perhaps in the worst case scenario, even if it break out of China, it will be something Asia local like MERS & SARS, but no one maybe except futurologist could predict the COVID-19 hit the whole globe so badly. Indeed, it might be the worst world pandemic after Spanish flu. Of course, many industries severely suffered from the lockdowns and closures, and today we will try to find out how casinos and coronaviruses exist together in today's reality.
The coronavirus situation changes every day, but what we can say now is that games with live dealers have become more popular. It's better or worse, quite difficult to judge. But the trend is interesting! What do you think about this? Write in the comments below.
Definitely many of you read about casino closures due to coronavirus, and now we will share with you the results of our investigation. First, we want to go back to the origins of the pandemic and assess the situation in the two gambling capitals of the world - Macau and Las Vegas. In February 2020, after in Macao was discovered 10th COVID-19 case, Macau authorities decided to suspend the operation of all casinos for two weeks due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus, were closed all 49 casinos, as well as "similar types of entertainment." This decision was taken by the authorities amid reports of the tenth person infected with the coronavirus in Macau. According to Macau News, the victim was a 57-year-old resident of the city who visited Guangzhou on January 25 and returned the same day. The next day he felt a high fever and started coughing. On February 4, the man was confirmed to have a coronavirus, and was immediately isolated. This was a real blow to the industry, as in 2019, the number of gambling-tourists arriving in Macau reached around 39.4 million.
Another crushing blow fell on Las Vegas. On March 18, 2020, it was decided to close all casinos in Las Vegas due to the coronavirus. The Nevada state authorities have ordered the closure of all gambling establishments in Las Vegas from March 18th for a month to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Not only large gambling establishments should stop working, but also individual slot machines. The authorities also demanded the closure of bars, cinemas, gyms and all organizations, the work of which is not absolutely necessary. Restaurants are open, but they cannot receive visitors, only sell takeaway food. The corresponding statement was made by the Governor of Nevada Steve Sisolak on Tuesday evening, giving companies less than 24 hours to execute the order. The last time this happened was more than half a century ago, on November 25th, 1963, in connection with the funeral of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy. For those who love statistics, Las Vegas is considered the gambling capital of the United States. Over a hundred casinos are located in the city.
What happens to the gaming world during a pandemic?
We hope now you understand much better the size and scale of the situation. Can you believe it or not, but the most frequent Google search keywords in the beginning of pandemic was this combination: “coronavirus casino”. Of course, it’s clear that people are always seeking alternatives, if the old way habits are unrealizable at the moment. In order to learn more about how things are now in the field of online casinos during a pandemic - we suggest you go to read the article "How have online casinos coped with this pandemic globally"
The Official Golden Reels blog continues to monitor the world pandemic situation and will keep you updated about the latest news. We help you distinguish rumors and fictions from real news. For example, now there are rumors on the web about the initiative - to allow visits to land-based casinos, only to those who have the vaccine. So far this is only a speculation, it’s not officially confirmed and none of the authorities made an official statement. We encourage you to stay in a safe environment and play your favorite online games!
See ya later!
