Thirteen casinos of Pennsylvania are ready to close their doors under new order issued by state governor Thomas Wolf past Thursday.

All the gambling establishments, as well as theatres, concert halls, arcades, private clubs, bowling clubs, and other entertainment venues, must be closed from 12.01 am on Saturday, December 12.

The Governor’s order was issued due to an increased number of covid-19 cases to stop spreading the contagious virus.

The Head of government confirmed the closure of all casinos after nine gaming executives representing casinos across the Keystone State sent a letter to the governor earlier this week.

They noted in the letter that Pennsylvania’s gaming industry is “one of the largest and most successful” in the commonwealth, as it generates more than $ 1.5 billion in tax revenue per year.

Casinos Closure is not Possible
Next, they wrote in the letter that it is impossible to close the casinos’ doors within a few days from the logistics point of view because these gambling establishments are big commercial enterprises so it is necessary to ensure the safety of thousand game machines and transfer significant cash amount beyond the building walls.

Casinos’ executives also said that local licensed gambling companies invested millions of dollars to set all possible security measures and make sure that their facilities provide services in accordance with all safety protocols issued by health officials.

It was also indicated in the letter that there is no proves that casino establishments are the reason for spreading the coronavirus and their closure will lead to ignoring their investments and commitment to strict compliance with all protocols.

Governor Thomas Wolf impacts 13 Pennsylvania casinos, including the most recent one-Live! Pittsburgh Casino. The $150 million property opened its doors last month as the state’s first mini-casino under the government-sponsored gambling expansion initiative.

Live! The Pittsburgh Casino is located in the former Bon-Ton department store at the Westmoreland Mall in Westmoreland County, just 30 miles from Pittsburgh. It offers 750 slot machines and 30 table games.

Pennsylvania casinos remained closed for months after being ordered to close in March this year when the first wave of Covid-19 hit. Gambling establishments began to open slowly in June under the direction of the governor. According to the three-step Wolf’ plan, casinos and other establishments that were forced to close in the spring could only reopen after their counties moved into the green zones.