Casinos in Europe didn’t have a very successful year as many countries in the Old Continent ordered their casino to close their doors under the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Melco Resorts & Entertainment operates Cyprus Casinos (C2). The operator released a note on C2’s official website, claiming that all operations on the island will be “temporarily suspended.” All four venues will have to close their doors to the visitors, as instructed by the government.
This notice actually mainly applies to the two smaller C2 satellite properties which were still open. The larger casino, which is located in Limassol, had to close its doors in November when the number of cases started increasing once again.
Needless to say, this is not the first time that C2 casinos had to go into lockdown mode. Like many similar properties around the globe, the first lockdown took place mid-March, when COVID-19 became a real threat to everyone around the globe.
The virus wasn’t very active during the summer months, so the C2 casinos were allowed to open up. However, as soon as it started taking its toll once again, governments around the world had to shut down many businesses, and C2 casinos were no exception.
The Czech Republic
Casinos in the central-European country were allowed to operate once again on Dec. 3, coming out of the second lockdown. However, they were not allowed to operate at full capacity. Instead, they are very limited and work for limited hours.
However, the situation in the Czech Republic wasn’t favorable, so the casinos had to shut their doors once again. The authorities are expected to make their decision any moment, as the original plan was that casinos stay shut until Dec. 23.
The Netherlands
The new wave of the pandemic caused Holland Casino to close all 14 venues located in the European country. They are to stay shut until Jan. 19, 2021.
The casinos were closed mid-March for the first time but were eventually allowed to reopen on July 1, operating at limited hours and with no non-gaming amenities. Moreover, the customers had to make reservations to enter the playrooms that allowed up to 30 people.
France
Operators of French casinos hoped that they will be able to open their doors once again last Tuesday, but that didn’t happen. The French authorities decided to prolong the shutdown period for another three weeks as the situation regarding the coronavirus wasn’t favorable in the country.
Denmark
More than a week ago, the government of Denmark announced closing all casinos and slot venues in 38 municipalities in the country only to change that to all municipalities very soon, making the Danish casino industry non-existent. According to the latest info, all casinos in Denmark will have to stay shut until January.
To sum up, the situation in Europe for the land-based casino industry is highly unfavorable, and there’s not much that operators can do to fix it. This will definitely leave a mark on the industry, which will take a lot of time to recover properly.
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