Helping Our Neighbors Respond to COVID-19
As the U.S. grapples with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the gaming industry is stepping up to provide immediate, urgently needed support to American communities, families, and workers.
Virtually every commercial and tribal casino in the country has closed due to our nation’s public health crisis. These closures not only affect 650,000 direct gaming employees and their loved ones – when our doors close it deeply impacts every community where we operate. We support thousands of local small businesses. We generate vital tax revenue that pay for essential public services. That’s why leaders across our industry are taking action in this time of crisis to help local communities in countless ways.
Around the country, gaming properties have donated thousands of meals and tons of food to help those affected by disrupted jobs, schools, and services. In Las Vegas, gaming companies across the city have provided food and meals to their employees and joined together to donate hundreds of pallets of food to local nonprofits. In Detroit, casinos are donating food and sanitizing supplies to local organizations and city transit. In Atlantic City, all of the city’s casinos donated fresh and packaged food to community centers and social service agencies. From Massachusetts to Mississippi to Louisiana to California – gaming is doing what it can in this time of need.
This kind of commitment is not new for gaming. It’s who we are, and it runs deep in the character and culture of our industry. When disaster strikes, we step up – guided by our enduring commitment to local residents and communities.
We saw this same commitment after Hurricane Katrina. Gaming properties on the Gulf Coast provided disaster relief, helped rebuild, and kept valuable jobs for our workers. When the global financial crisis devastated Detroit, gaming’s tax revenue, jobs, and small business contracts helped pull the city back from the brink. And every year, billions in gaming tax revenue and tribal revenue share payments fund first responders, medical workers, and other public services across the country.
It’s because we’re more than partners. We’re part of our communities. We live where we do business. That’s what motivates our employees to volunteer 422,000 hours a year to community organizations and what spurs our industry’s $367 million in annual charitable giving. Those funds enable food banks, veterans’ services groups, educational non-profits, and other organizations to help those in need.
The gaming industry is also critical for the thousands of small businesses that are at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak’s economic fallout. Gaming supports 350,000 workers and $52 billion in revenue among small businesses. Indeed, of all the jobs supported by the gaming industry, more than half are at non-gaming businesses, such as local restaurants and shops.
As we face the challenging weeks and months ahead, we know American communities have the strength, compassion, and resilience to endure and recover. We see it every day. Our businesses and our employees are proud to continue standing alongside them, working together to find a way forward.