Nevada and Macau Casinos Struggle While Online Poker Thrives

Nevada casinos are facing significant challenges due to COVID-19 non-compliance. Two rural establishments, C.O.D. Casino in Minden and the Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall in downtown Ely, are facing fines for not complying with mask regulations. A gambler was removed from the Las Vegas’ 4 Queens Casino in handcuffs after refusing to wear a mask. The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) are seeking fines against both properties, with a bowling alley in Lake Tahoe also facing sanctions.

In New York, commercial casinos will be among the last in the US to reopen, with no set date yet. Governor Cuomo declared it as “an issue of density, the likelihood of compliance and the essential nature of the business.” Those rules don’t apply to the state’s tribal casinos, most of which have been re-opened for some time and are following their own set of regulations.

Across the globe, the Macau casino market is still struggling. July revenues numbers showed $168 million, a close to 95% year-on-year drop. Macau was struggling even before the Covid19 pandemic hit, with critics also pointing to restrictive travel and visa rules for would-be gamblers from neighbouring provinces.

Meanwhile, the online poker industry continues to thrive. Online poker traffic remains up 25% year-over-year, with 15,000 average concurrent cash game seats daily in July. The iPoker Network has implemented changes to make cash games fairer, including a Global Sit Out option, an anonymous cash game lobby, and a ‘Pay to Play’ function. Playtech has entered the Latvian poker market by partnering with Enlabs’ Optibet.lv and BestPoker.com.