Australia Orders Complete Shutdown of Casinos in Efforts to Battle Covid-19 Outbreak

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, has ordered all casinos in the country to be closed as a way of battling the spread of Covid-19 disease.

His meeting with Premiers and Chief Ministers of state and territory on March 22nd, he decided to put a more widespread restrictions in regards to all and any social gatherings, which includes closures of hotels, entertainment venues, pubs and casinos.

Tabcorp Raises Concerns

He even went on to proclaim that these closures might even last six months!

Australian Football League for this season, as well as National Rugby League, have been suspended indefinitely after originally being set to play behind closed doors. Horse and greyhound racing are going to continue behind closed doors.

Australia’s biggest operator, Tabcorp, has said that this closure of hotels and pubs, which host gaming machines, will affect their revenue. Also, it might lead to closure of TAB betting shops.

Not covered by these measures are Tabcorp’s lottery products and convenience stores and they will remain open.

Safety and Health First

Tabcorp’s managing director and chief executive, David Attenborough, said:

“The health and safety of our people, our partners and the community are our priority at this point in time. We are working with governments, regulators, and our venue and racing industry partners to manage the impact on them, our customers and our businesses during this unprecedented period.

We recognise how difficult this situation is for our people, our industry partners and the community, and we are committed to using the strength of our business model and our enduring partnerships to come through this stronger, together.”

Impact Not Clear Enough

Tabcorp said it was not possible, at the moment, to provide specific guidance on earnings or the financial impact of the virus.

The company added it was reducing capital expenditure where possible, encouraging retail customers to use digital alternatives and promoting other unaffected products.

“We have implemented our business continuity plans and have maintained continuity of service, even with the vast majority of our employees now operating remotely,” Attenborough said. “Despite the impact of these changes in licensed venues and, potentially, TAB agencies, we continue to offer customers wagering & media and keno products through our digital channels.”

Australia s the United Kingdom, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the closure of all casinos and betting shops on 20 March.

Source:

“Australia closes casinos to slow Covid-19”, igamingbusiness.com, March 23, 2020.