Land-Based Casinos In Pennsylvania Forced To Close
Published December 19, 2020 by Sol FH
All of the states brick and mortar casinos have been forced to close until at least January 4th.
There are 12 licensed, land-based casinos in the state of Pennsylvania and they have all been forced to close until at least January 4th. With a surge in the number of COVID cases in the state including Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), the second-term governor immediately announced sweeping coronavirus limitations on a number of businesses across Pennsylvania.
“With these measures in place, we hope to accomplish three goals. First, stop the devastating spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth,” Wolf commented. “Second, keep our hospitals and healthcare workers from becoming overwhelmed. And third, help Pennsylvanians get through the holiday season — and closer to a widely available vaccine — as safely as possible."
Rivers Casino in Philadelphia was the first to close and was enforced on November 20 by the municipality. Now, the remaining casinos in the state must follow suit. It was especially tough news for Live! Casino Pittsburgh, which opened its doors on the 24 of November.
Land-based gambling is big business in Pennsylvania and it is the third-largest gaming market in the US. Pennsylvania is only behind Nevada and New Jersey in size. During the closure, the state's online casino and sportsbetting will continue on desktop and mobile.
Governor Wolf stated that the earliest date on which the casinos will be allowed to reopen is on January 4. There will be a lot of money in lost tax revenue for the state and revenue for the operators and their investors but this is a massive attempt to shudder the COVID cases that are ravaging the US.
