Penn National to lay off nearly 1,150 workers in Louisiana

Operator wary of uncertain business volumes due to social distancing measures.

Penn National Gaming is set to lose 1,150 workers at Louisiana locations in August due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to CDC Gaming Reports via the Associated Press, a number of employees at L’Auberge Hotel and Casino in Baton Rouge, L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles, Boomtown Casino & Hotel New Orleans and Margaritavilla Resort Casino in Bossier City will be laid off.

Penn National is attributing the job losses to uncertain business volumes as a result of social distancing requirements, having filed notices with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards ordered the state’s casinos to close in March but, even with reopenings across Louisiana and the US since, revenue and EBITDA are not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels for some months.

In fact, several casinos have since been forced to reclose at different US locations, with a number of employees also testing positive for COVID-19.

Tim Poole

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