A Las Vegas sportsbook and casinos in multiple states are closing temporarily amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Wynn Las Vegas confirmed to ESPN on Friday that its sportsbook and poker room will close for an undetermined amount of time beginning Sunday. The Wynn is the first Nevada casino to shut down its sportsbook since the coronavirus caused almost all professional and collegiate sports to suspend play.
State officials in Illinois on Friday ordered casinos to suspend gambling operations for 14 days beginning Monday. Illinois launched sports betting for the first time just four days before Friday’s announcement.
“The public health of patrons, casino employees, IGB staff, and others is of paramount importance,” the Illinois Gaming Board said in a release Friday.
Ohio’s casinos were instructed to comply by midnight ET Friday with a directive from Gov. Mike DeWine that prohibits gatherings of more than 100 people.
In Las Vegas, sportsbooks were quiet on Thursday and Friday, and the lit-up oddsboards that would normally be loaded with college basketball conference tournament games displayed limited offerings. The NBA and NHL have suspended their seasons, Major League Baseball has halted spring training, and the NCAA canceled the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. The PGA Tour, Major League Soccer and NASCAR also have halted events.
UFC Fight Night is slated to take place Saturday in Brasilia, Brazil, though the event will be closed to the public.
The World Series of Poker announced Friday that it is postponing several circuit events and is monitoring the pandemic carefully, but was not at this time rescheduling the main event, slated to begin in late May in Las Vegas.
Credit: Source link