By The US land-based casino industry is slowly coming back to life. Several states have begun allowing their casinos to resume operations. It’s great news for casino companies, many of which have lost an incredible amount of money due to this new pandemic. According to new reports, Eldorado Resorts plans to reopen three of its Louisiana casinos this week.
Casino fans are already getting excited. Of course, the casinos here won’t look quite the same as they did back in February. Today, we’re going to discuss which casinos will open, and what measures they will take to protect staff and patrons.
Let’s get into it!
Louisiana is Slowly Beginning to Open Back Up
There was a brief time when Louisiana appeared to have one of the biggest clusters of Covid-19 cases in the country. The state didn’t lock down before the Mardi Gras celebration, leading to a huge number of new cases. Since that time, Louisiana has been under lockdown.
All casinos in this state were shut down almost immediately after infections began appearing inside the L’Auberge Casino. Initially, it was unclear how long these gambling venues would be closed for. Governor Edwards made it clear that the state would remain closed down until infection rates became under control.
Casino companies with property in Louisiana began complaining about the current conditions. Everyone understands that reopening the casinos here is difficult. Unless something changed, however, many of these properties may be forced to permanently shut down.
Things are now starting to change. There are a little over 34,000 cases around the entire state. Rates of infection have dropped over the past month. Now, Louisiana is entering into phase two of reopening and some casinos are preparing to open their doors.
It’s an exciting moment for many people. Casino companies are working hard to ensure these casinos are opened up in the safest way possible. Eldorado Resorts has just announced it plans to open up three of the top casinos in the state. Here’s what this company has planned.
Eldorado Resorts Plans to Reopen Three Louisiana Casinos
Eldorado Resorts is one of the biggest and most successful casino companies in the country. At the moment, it’s also one of the worst-affected gambling companies due to the global pandemic. Eldorado owns and operates casinos in many states around the country.
That includes several in Louisiana. Eldorado Resorts has been one of the most proactive companies trying to allow casinos to start operating again. It has presented several different plans to state leaders.
Not long ago, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board gave this company the green light to open some of its gambling venues. The commission announced that casinos must limit occupancy to 25% of what it was a few months ago. Eldorado has now confirmed that it will open three of its major gaming venues inside the state.
Anthony Carano, president and CEO of Eldorado Resorts, commented on the new plans to the media this week.
“As we resume operations at our properties, the health and safety of our team members and guests is our No. 1 priority,” he said. “We have been working very hard over the last two months to prepare for the reopening of our casinos and we look forward to providing the outstanding service and hospitality experiences Eldorado is known for in a safe manner.”
Today, this company will reopen the Isle of Capri Lake Charles Casino, Belle of Baton Rouge Casino, and the Eldorado Shreveport. Many expect these venues to draw large crowds once their doors are opened. Hope is that revenue figures begin to increase for all of the casino operators here.
It’s an interesting time for Eldorado Resorts. This company continues to work on its massive deal with Caesars Entertainment.
Eldorado-Caesars Merger is Still Underway
It’s not entirely uncommon for major casino companies to merge. We’ve seen this happen on several occasions over the past few decades. No merger is as big as the one currently underway between Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment.
Back in June of 2019, these two companies announced they were merging. Eldorado paid an incredible $17 billion to acquire Caesars. Obviously, a deal of this magnitude takes a long time to complete.
Both of these companies need to gain approval from various state gaming commissions. Several states have already approved this deal. Unfortunately, the pandemic has significantly slowed down the progress of this deal.
That doesn’t mean things have completely stopped. In April, Eldorado announced it was selling two of its major casinos to help pay for the cost of this merger. That includes one of its Louisiana casinos.
Caesars Entertainment has also sold several major casinos to help move this deal along. Based on the way things are going, the deal will conclude before the end of 2020. We’re in an unprecedented time, however, and no one really knows how the land-based casino industry will fare over the next 12 months.
Are you excited to hear that Louisiana casinos are opening back up? Let us know in the comments section below.
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On Friday, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board officially approved the proposed merger between Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Eldorado Resorts. While the board gave the $17.3 billion deal the thumbs-up, the regulator also criticized Eldorado for lacking in its efforts to upgrade its Baton Rouge casino.