bunyad domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/btcethereum/public_html/onlinegamblingdaily.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Major gambling companies\u2019 executives gathered to discuss how the industry adapted to Covid-19 and the lessons learned from the pandemic at the latest edition of the East Coast Gaming Congress<\/a><\/strong>, which took place September 21-23 at Hard Rock Atlantic City<\/a>, New Jersey. The event was held against a backdrop of Atlantic City casino workers protesting <\/strong>outside of Hard Rock, demanding a bill banning indoor casino smoking to be passed in the state.<\/p>\n While Covid forced most US casinos to close for months, leading to payrolls, revenue and earnings to tumble, casino executives at a panel Thursday discussed how they learned useful lessons from those dark times, some even set to endure even after the pandemic is fully over. \u201cWe learned lessons that can\u2019t be unlearned,\u201d said Thomas Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt forced us and gave us the ability to say to our guests that things that used to be viewed as an entitlement, maybe they don\u2019t need them as much as they thought they did,\u201d added Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International<\/a><\/strong>, as reported by Associated Press<\/em>. \u201cDo you need a buffet?<\/strong> Should you have a buffet?\u201d While Hard Rock Atlantic City still operates a buffet, some Hard Rock-branded casinos in other states no longer have them.<\/p>\n According to David Cordish, chairman of the Cordish Companies<\/a>, which operates casinos in Pennsylvania, Florida and Maryland, the pandemic offered his firm an opportunity \u201cto tighten the ship.\u201d<\/strong> The company has not gone back to buffets, and while being closed for months was \u201chorrendous\u201d for employees, Cordish says there were \u201ca lot of lessons learned,\u201d among them the need to introduce new health and safety measures at land-based casinos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n While incorporating safety measures such as hand sanitizers and barriers between player positions at table games implied an extra cost, Cordish said expenses paid off once the casinos were allowed to reopen in mid-2020<\/strong>. \u201cPeople were fed up with being cooped up and came pouring back to the casinos, particularly when we did these things,\u201d he noted, according to AP<\/em>. \u201cSince we reopened, business has been terrific.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The pandemic also provided CEOs the opportunity to figure out what amenities were no longer needed<\/strong>. Eric Hausler, CEO of Greenwood Racing, owner of Pennsylvania\u2019s Parx Casino<\/a>, provided an example of a restaurant that was open every day for lunch and \u201cnever made any money,\u201d which was closed for good once the gambling venue resumed operations.<\/p>\n However, the pandemic has also brought its fair share of negative consequences, as expected, among them smaller payrolls<\/strong>. This is credited both to workers who were let go during or shortly after the closures and have not been rehired, and continuing difficulty in attracting new workers across the gambling industry, execs pointed out at the congress.<\/p>\n While some companies utilized the pandemic to restructure their business model from top to bottom, with the goal of rebuilding margins and achieving a tighter structure, many top casino bosses shared a common concern that not all properties have returned to pre-pandemic levels<\/strong>. This is the case of the congress\u2019 host destination: Atlantic City casinos collectively have yet to return to 2019 revenue, in particular for in-person gambling, the segment that took the biggest hit.<\/p>\n Although a fair share of pressing industry issues were covered at the congress, one was notably absent from the keynote lineup: indoor smoking at casinos<\/strong>. Workers at Atlantic City\u2019s gaming venues have long pushed for the introduction of a ban on smoking in gambling halls, and while the issue was initially set to be discussed at the meeting, a panel on the matter was canceled mere days ahead of the reunion after Mark Giannantonio, head of the Casino Association of New Jersey<\/a>, pulled out last week<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Irate that the session to discuss the proposed smoking ban was snuffed out, casino workers and patrons opposed to smoking in gaming halls held a protest outside the meeting Thursday<\/strong>. About 100 people rallied in the rain underneath a walkway outside Hard Rock AC, demanding the state Legislature act on a bill that has the support of more than half of state lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy, but which has been stalled without a hearing in a Senate or Assembly committee.<\/p>\n Thursday afternoon\u2019s panel discussion on casino smoking was canceled amid the Atlantic City casinos\u2019 trade association’s long-standing opposition to a ban<\/strong>. Giannantonio had previously stated the CANJ has been \u201cvery transparent\u201d in its position that an immediate smoking ban would have \u201ca significant adverse effect\u201d on Atlantic City, seemingly the reason why the association decided to not participate in the panel session.<\/p>\n <\/img><\/p>\n The move did not sit well with casino workers. \u201cThe CANJ is running and hiding right now,\u201d said Thursday Peter Naccarelli, a dealer at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa<\/a><\/strong> and a leader of a push by casino workers to ban smoking in their workplaces. \u201cThey have no logical arguments,\u201d he added, according to Associated Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n While Murphy, the state\u2019s Democratic governor, has promised to sign the bill should it pass, he did not mention the proposal when he addressed Thursday\u2019s conference. The only mention of the issue came from Greenwood Racing\u2019s Eric Hausler<\/strong>, who during an afternoon session said the introduction of a smoke-free policy at Pennsylvania\u2019s Parx casino has been successful.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo far, so good,\u201d he said. Parx decided to remain smoke-free since reopening in 2020, after the initial wave of the pandemic<\/strong>. \u201cIf you look at our market share numbers, they’re holding up just fine,\u201d the executive noted, as per AP<\/em>. \u201cWe intend to stay that way. Our customers have gotten used to it.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n <\/img>
<\/br>Hard Rock's Jim Allen<\/pre>\nCasino smoking still a controversial issue<\/h3>\n