Scotland Casinos Launch Initiative to Reopen Earlier

The casino industry in Scotland has joined forces to begin a movement to persuade the Scottish Government to rethink its restrictions on coronavirus, which hold the casinos closed.

Scotland entered a five-tier coronavirus restriction regime as of 2 November, with five entering a complete lockout, causing the country's casinos to close and reopen no earlier than reaching Level 1.

Scotland's biggest casino operator, Grosvenor Casinos, has now launched the petition 'The Chips Are Down: Save Our Casinos, Save Our Jobs', with funding from Genting Casino, Caesars Entertainment and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). 

The campaign's appeal is to persuade First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to help the casino sector to rebound by making them open at Level 2, rather than Level 1, with 11 casinos launching the petition in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The casinos point to the fact that bars, restaurants and cinemas will operate at or below Level 2 as to why the Government should loosen the existing limits on casinos and to better consider evidence that casinos are safe locations.

Grosvenor Casinos Managing Director Jonathon Swaine said:

“If Scottish casinos are forced to remain closed it will have a devastating impact on those customers who enjoy their local venues as a community hub, on team members who will lose their jobs, on the local suppliers it serves, on the charities that they are proud to support, as well as on the wider economy which will lose millions of pounds in tax receipts.”

Casinos in Scotland had recently reopened for the first time since mid-March closure on 24 August, but the majority were forced to shut down again from 10 October, when the country's hospitality industry was brought to a close in central Scotland.