US Senate passes Covid-19 relief package
The $1.9trn fund includes various measures that could help the gaming industry recover from coronavirus losses.
US.- The US Senate has passed the American Rescue Plan, a Covid-19 relief package that will see billions of dollars paid out in aid to business, including the gaming industry.
The $1.9trn fund will help unemployed casino workers – either those still on furlough or those who were laid off during the pandemic – through its $300-a-week extra unemployment benefit.
Unemployed and furloughed workers will also receive funding to cover the cost of their COBRA health insurance plans.
US Senator for Nevada, Jacky Rosen, said: “The American Rescue Plan Act will make good on our promise of direct payments to Americans in need and extend enhanced unemployment relief and complete health insurance premium coverage for Nevadans who have faced job losses through no fault of their own.”
The package also extends the Employee Retention Tax Credit, allowing employers who have been ordered to shut down to claim a $14,000 credit for each full-time worker kept on between January 1 and June 30 of this year, and a $5,000 credit per employee for 2020.
The credit was first passed under the CARES Act, a $2trn relief package signed by former US President Donald Trump in March 2020.
Aid totalling $750m will also be given to states and communities that saw their tourist industries suffer as a result of the pandemic. This funding will also likely benefit the gaming industry.
The American Gaming Association (AGA)’s President Bill Miller said one of the association’s goals for 2021 was securing additional Covid-19 economic relief in order to speed up recovery across the sector.
