Mississippi: layoffs at Ameristar Casino

Ameristar Casino in Mississippi riverfront has announced it will lay off 150 workers due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

US.- Ameristar Casino, located on the Mississippi riverfront in Vicksburg, has announced it will permanently lay off 150 workers due to the crisis in the industry amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The casino will remain open but will reduce its staff beginning in August, according to a letter notifying city officials of the layoffs.

The venue was closed for two months after the Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered all of the state’s casinos to close in mid-March when the measures were taken in the US to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Casinos were allowed to reopen last month with social distancing guidelines in place that reduced capacity and the number of players allowed at gaming tables and slot machines, among other limitations.

According to The Vicksburg Post, General Manager Gerad Hardy said the interruptions had caused a decline in business volume and called the layoffs an “unfortunate result” of circumstances brought on by the pandemic.

Hardy said: “We could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes.”