The last open commercial casinos in the United States will close today, as South Dakota's casinos shut down to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
The move comes after the state's governor Kristi Noem issued an executive order that instructed all businesses that promote public gatherings to close or modify business practices. Yesterday, Deadwood mayor David Ruth Jr. wrote a letter asking the casinos to close their doors, and it appears that the operators have heeded the call. Casinos will shut their doors, with the deadline for doors locked at noon on Wednesday.
With the closures, all commercial casinos in the country are closed, and 649,000 employees are out of work as a result. Those affected are able to claim unemployment, but these closures will without a doubt cause serious issues for workers.
We're following the mass closures of casinos around the globe and will be updating readers as more details appear.