Virtual G2E: Gaming execs’ short-term solutions to boost visitation and future recovery

October 29, 2020 6:40 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports
October 29, 2020 6:40 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports

Casino executives remain optimistic about the future of gaming when the COVID-19 pandemic ends, but anticipate that taking additional safety measures before it happens will pay off with increased visitation.

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“Gaming During the Pandemic” was a panel discussion Wednesday during the virtual Global Gaming Expo, and Ellen Whittemore, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary with Wynn Resorts, touted rapid testing as a “short-term solution” to deal with it.

“One of the things experts are telling us is that people aren’t as afraid of places as they are of each other,” Whittemore said. “People are convinced that all of our properties are taking the sanitation steps, that our restaurants are clean and we’re cleaning everything. What people are afraid of is other people. We’re finding that when people talk about coming to Las Vegas, they want to be safe — not from a physical security standpoint, but from one another.”

Whittemore outlined how Wynn has worked with University Medical Center in Las Vegas, along with labs from New York and California, and is developing its own on-site lab.

“We’re going to be able to offer our customers — hotel guests, dinner guests, and guests in our theaters — the ability to come early in the day and give a swab. And we’ll have rapid testing, so by the time of the dinner or concert later that evening, you’ll know if you’re negative. And you’ll be allowed to go to that concert only if you’re negative and get the result on your phone. When you’re in there, you’ll look around and see only people who tested negative that day. So you’ll have comfort level — ‘I’m going out on the town tonight, but I know that I’ll be around other people safe to be near.’”

Whittemore called that the “short-term solution” and said they’re looking forward to a vaccine. “Until we get back to normal, this mid-term range of giving people some comfort level is the appropriate next step.”

Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, said they’re optimistic about a vaccine. “That’s going to be the Holy Grail and how we’ll move forward.” He said the property is seeing what’s happening in other jurisdictions and testing options for spacing out seating in theaters and doing small shows.

“We’re already seeing some green shoots,” Butler said. “We’ve had significant demand on our hotel side and we’re starting to see bookings pick up on the convention side. We’re actually booking our first entertainment shows in the next few weeks. The demand has been surprising, even at a limited capacity. The hope is that people are realizing how we’re going to manage this. They’re willing to get out, because they have confidence in what the industry has done from a safety perspective for this entire country. The guests are appreciating it.”

Once the pandemic ends, Whittemore said Wynn is looking forward to welcoming more patrons back to their properties. People have been staying at home and working remotely and homeschooling their children and will be ready for a vacation.

“Las Vegas and Boston and Connecticut and those places that give people a little bit of entertainment are going to open their arms and welcome everybody back in,” Whittemore said.

Mike Rumbolz, CEO of slot maker Everi, believes the pandemic will prompt a lot of changes in the industry. “I think you’ll see more and more innovation,” Rumbolz said. “You will see games coming out probably in the next several years that will be far more entertaining than the games out previously. We all know on the supply side that people need to be entertained and get their minds off the troubles that have occurred during this pandemic.”