Gambling News

Vegas Finally Reopens After Nearly Three Months

After about three months of being closed due to the coronavirus shutdown, casinos in Las Vegas have now reopened. This is great news for the sports betting industry, especially with the return of several sports.

Many casinos in Vegas had never closed before the coronavirus pandemic. There were stories of some places not even having locks on the doors.

Vegas was a place that was directly affected by COVID-19. With the fear of traveling and many being laid off from work, the city had tourism revenue abruptly taken away.

On Thursday, retail sportsbooks in the area reopened. The next couple of months could be a big revenue opportunity for them.

“Reopening today is huge for sportsbooks and the gaming industry as a whole,” Circa Sports operations manager Jeff Benson said. “Getting people back on the property and interacting with our staff, even in a limited capacity, has been awesome so far.”

The UFC has already returned, the NBA has an official start date, the PGA Tour is about to begin, and football season is just around the corner.

“I think the stars are aligning. You’ve got the Masters, Kentucky Derby, the NBA playoffs, and a helluva NFL season. And the boys of summer are gonna be wearing ice skates,” Derek Stevens, owner of The D and Golden Gate in downtown Las Vegas said.

September is now going to be one of the biggest months for sports betting. The NBA and NHL playoffs will be on, NFL and college football, as well as the Kentucky Derby, which was rescheduled from its regular date in May.

The biggest horse race in the world, the Kentucky Derby, will be held on Sept. 5. Usually, it is the first leg of the Triple Crown, but this year, it will be running after the Belmont.

Sports Betting Surge

As the economy makes a return, fans will be swarming to sportsbooks, possibly even more than before. Having them taken away for so long lead many experts to believe there will be a boom in the industry.

“This might be the best six months of sports and sports betting in American history,” said Stevens.

With all of that being said, people are going to have to change their mindset to travel. Tourists may not flock to Las Vegas immediately after the country begins to reopen.

There are still some worries related to a second spike with the virus, along with the protests that have been going on across the country in reaction to the death of George Floyd.

“The biggest thing is getting people comfortable locking their house up and leaving it for three, four days and going someplace where they’re not fearful,” said Billy Vassiliadis, CEO of R&R Partners, the firm behind the city’s famous “What happens here” campaign. “It’s a mindset change and behavioral change.

“People went from being mobile and free to staying home for three months. There’s going to be an adjustment back to mobility – but I don’t think it’s going to be long.”

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