Los Angeles County has implemented a strict safer at home order starting today, which will force the county’s cardrooms to temporarily close and could reduce ground visitation to Las Vegas.
County officials are encouraging people to avoid any non-essential activities while large gatherings are altogether banned expect for religious events, which are deemed essential.
The county’s cardrooms shut down Friday night and will remain closed until further notice from officials. Cardrooms had already been operating for weeks with an overnight curfew, which prohibited activities from 10pm to 5am.
The new closures could serve as the final blow for some of the county’s cardrooms, which often rely on gaming as their sole source of revenue.
The safer at home orders could also negatively impact car travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Average daily auto traffic at the I-15 Nevada/California border was 45,000 for October, representing more than a third of all auto traffic to Las Vegas for the month.
If Los Angeles residents are encouraged to stay housebound through December, Las Vegas visitor volume could plummet. Las Vegas attracted 1.9m visitors in October, up 200,000 from the month prior but down 49% year-on-year.
