Two of the biggest gambling operators on the territory of Australia – Crown Resorts and its rival Star Entertainment Group – are unveiling “social distancing” measures at their casinos in the country to respond to the spreading coronavirus epidemic.
Earlier today, both companies announced the above-mentioned “social distancing” measures, as part of which their Australian customers will be kept apart by switching off ever second gaming machine and electronic table available at the two operators’ casinos across the country. The number of players at live table games is also set to be restricted.
Currently, the two companies operate a combined overall of over 4,000 gaming terminals under the licences they hold in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
In addition, Crown Resorts revealed its decision to restrict the number of patrons that could be hosted in its Melbourne casino’s conference and banqueting facilities to a maximum of 450 people. Also, the Australian casino giant said that plans to restrict the visitors of its facilities to fewer than 500 “with limited density”.
So far, several countries have already adopted the practice of “social distancing”, with various cultural, sporting and religious events being put on hold as a measure to stop the spreading of the coronavirus infection.
Coronavirus Epidemic Already Affects Global Gambling Sector
The newly-unveiled measures have confirmed the pressure on the tourism sub-sector, which has been struggling to remain operational amid a massive shutdown of sporting, entertainment, cultural, etc. events as countries’ authorities are limiting public gatherings to tackle further spreading of the COVID-19.
The coronavirus epidemic has already had a negative effect on various businesses around the globe, including the gambling industry. A number of casino companies have already confirmed that their high-roller operations that mostly target wealthy tourists originating from Australia have been suffering from the travel restrictions imposed in relation to the coronavirus infection.
Now, the reductions that are being made in their domestic casinos are expected to hit another aspect of their businesses – the revenue generated by gamblers in their domestic markets.
Crown Resorts confirmed that the “social distancing” policy measures had been given the green light by the chief health officer of the state of Victoria. Star Entertainment, on the other hand, shared that its measures complied with the Federal Government policy. Still, despite the restrictive measures, the venues are set to remain open, at least for the time being.
The coronavirus crisis has already been having a negative effect on gambling companies’ performance. Crown Resorts share price fell by 11% to their lowest close in nine years. The share price of Star Entertainment, on the other hand, fell by 24%, which has been the lowest point reached so far. When it comes to the broader market, it also generated its largest one-day decline since 1987, with a 9.7% fall.
- Author
Olivia Cole
