At Least a Quarter of Staff Laid Off at Boyd Gaming

By Mike J. Davies Editor in Chief at Casinos.US Updated: 08/01/2020

Mike J. Davies Editor in Chief at Casinos.US See Full Bio

Mike is our Senior Editor and experienced gambling strategist. A former hockey player, he transitioned to the casino industry after finishing his B.A. in English. Blackjack systems, online casino guides, gambling terms, and more – Mike is familiar with all fine points of gambling.

Laid Off at Boyd Gaming

In a recent statement, Boyd Gaming has confirmed that it has laid off at least a quarter of its staff as a result of the devastation caused by COVID-19. The global pandemic resulted in land-based casinos having to close for around three months to help control the infection. This resulted in huge financial losses for casinos.

While casinos have reopened in Nevada, there are strict new measures in place, and this is having a continued negative impact on finances.

Casinos are having to operate at a fraction of their capacity, and many facilities at the state’s casino resorts have not yet been able to open. This means that casinos are unable to make as much money as they were prior to the pandemic.

Job Losses May Continue to Rise

According to reports, Boyd Gaming has already laid off 25% of the workforce, but this could increase. A letter was filed by the group with the Nevada Department of Enforcement, Training, and Rehabilitation. In this letter, the company indicated that the number of job losses could continue to go up.

The group owns ten casinos in the greater Las Vegas area, and although most of them have been able to reopen, there are still a lot of restrictions in place that are having a huge impact on the group.

A statement that was released by Boyd Gaming read:

While we have been able to reopen most of our properties … we are still facing significant restrictions on our business, and visitation levels remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

It also confirmed that given the ‘ongoing challenges and continued uncertainty’ the company was moving forward with laying off furloughed team members on a permanent basis. Those affected have not been called back into work following the reopening of the casinos.

The gaming group employs huge numbers of people, and figures suggest that a quarter of the workforce could equate to around 2,500 employees. It is thought that the percentage of people who lose their jobs could reach up to 60%. However, the group has said that it will be providing financial support for employees who are laid off.

The Impact of COVID-19 Continues

While casinos were eager to reopen as soon as the state governor, Steve Sisolak, gave the go-ahead, the strict new measures mean that the impact of COVID-19 is continuing.

Casinos have fewer people in the properties at any one time, and some facilities such as nightclubs, shows, some restaurants, and buffets remain closed. There has also been a profound impact on table gaming and slot machine numbers. It is thought that Vegas won’t recover from the COVID-19 lockdown until 2023.

There are also concerns about increases in the infection rate in the state since casinos were allowed to reopen. In fact, just a couple of weeks after casinos and other non-essential businesses were reopened, there were record numbers of infections in Las Vegas.

Some have described the reopening of casinos and other businesses in Las Vegas as backfiring because of the increase in infection rates.