Stateside
Sharon Harris reviews the situation in North America
H
ooray!! We’re back after the Covid-19 coronavirus “earthquake” brought the world to its collective knees. US gaming instantly felt the impact of the aftershocks and came to a grinding
halt. Where I live, Atlantic City’s nine casinos closed on March 16 and immediately eliminated 25,000 jobs. This scenario, duplicated nationwide, excludes hundreds of shuttered restaurants, retail and peripheral supplier businesses. The result? Food bank lines stretching for miles,
especially when families with multiple casino workers lost their incomes overnight. Out west, all Nevada casinos closed March 18, many for the first time ever. Nevada has no state income tax and depends on gaming taxes for almost half the budget. These losses could prove catastrophic. Nevada’s April total gaming income from online and sports
betting – $3.64 million – was a 99.6% decline from April 2019. Compare that to this past January, when revenues topped $1 billion for the eighth time over 12 months. Atlantic City’s online gaming and foreign sports
betting fared better because New Jersey’s population is three times Nevada’s. April’s $82.6 million was 70% down from the $265.4 million last April. Internet gambling’s $80 million was a 119% increase. While home, I found dozens of Casino International
issues, since 2010, that included my articles and monthly stateside columns. They presented a fascinating time capsule of prior online and sports betting legal challenges, political and leadership (or lack thereof) issues, evolving personnel regulations and ever- advancing technology and social media.
10 MAY/JUNE 2020 Business social media has positively promoted and
communicated with customers. However, instant communication also has a dark downside. On a second battlefront, the US has confronted social chaos since late May because of a police officer suffocating an unarmed black resident in Minneapolis. George Floyd, 46, died while three other cops watched. All four now face varying murder charges and should be held fully accountable.
A shocking cell phone video spread like wildfire through social media and motivated days of national protests against police. Unfortunately, it also drew a roadmap for criminals, looters and fanatics that devolved into many nights of complete anarchy in 32 cities. Doesn’t everyone deserve to smash a window and walk out with electronics, booze or jewelry in response? Thankfully, social media also helped law enforcement find and arrest hundreds, if not thousands, of criminals. And, in many cases, businesses and individuals are now defending their own property. I found Minneapolis’s Mayor Jacob Frey weak when he
delayed an immediate law enforcement presence against looters and arsonists. He even urged police to abandon their precinct building before it was burned. How does that inspire confidence from the public? Looting, violence and criminal behavior have often
overshadowed many thoughtful demonstrations. I support peaceful protesting, but the operative word is peaceful. I grew up during the Vietnam War era and understand the difference. The staggering damage, fires and violence in cities and countless towns, including my hometown of Philadelphia, will ultimately cost billions. Several cops have already been killed or severely injured trying to prevent more carnage.
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