It has been well over a year since most land-based casinos across the nation were forced to close their doors indefinitely. Some casinos took the time as an opportunity to restructure and reinvest, while others were biting their nails waiting on the signal to reopen.
Delta Brings Doom
Summer 2021 brought casinos a few steps towards normalcy, many opening with few restrictions. Paired with the overwhelming passage of new gambling legislation this year, casinos seemed to have their foot in the door for a brighter future.
However, the growing risks associated with the Delta variant of COVID-19 stand to create new setbacks for retail casinos across the nation. For example, Oregon’s famous Chinook Winds Casino and Resort announced a temporary closure of their casino on August 12th.
“Despite the progress we have made to vaccinate our team, their families, and the community, increases in cases in the county and state have led us to make the difficult decision to close our operations…”
– Michael Fischer, member of Chinook Winds Senior Executive team
The temporary closure was only supposed to last two weeks but was extended due to the continued increase in cases and hospitalizations both in Oregon and throughout the US.
As of now, the closure is said to be lifted on September 2nd. Given the situation, it is still unclear whether the casino will be able to stick to this re-opening date.
How Are Other Casinos Coping?
As the Delta variant continues to make its way through the US, some wonder if it will be enough to shut down land-based casinos again.
Mole Lake Casino in Wisconsin also underwent temporary closure and will remain shut down until September 24. At this point, it is hard to imagine that other casinos won’t have the same fate.
Fortunately, many of these casinos have a substantial cushion of financial security and will not have to permanently shutter their doors. However, bettors and gamblers alike will have to look elsewhere to keep up their gaming.
Is It Time to Switch to Online?
Even if your state doesn’t offer domestic online sportsbooks, offshore betting lines are still available at your discretion. Legal online casinos are an ideal option for gaming and may soon become the only option.
But these online casinos have perks! While some states have restrictions on what kinds of games different gambling operations can provide, offshore casinos offer all kinds of different games from blackjack to roulette.
We have done extensive research to deliver you our picks on the most trusted online casinos. With reviews and state legislative content, we have everything you need to find your favorite online casino.