40% of Pennsylvania casino staff hit by shutdown

The US state of Pennsylvania had 12 casinos in operation in 2019-20, says the newly-released annual report of the state’s Gaming Control Board.

All of the casinos are now back in action following the shutdown caused by the pandemic. At the height of the infection, over 5,500 casino employees were placed on furlough and nearly 1,000 were laid off. It meant that 40 per cent of the total casino workforce was adversely affected by the virus.

As of June 30, the 12 casinos employed between them nearly 10,000 people with a gender split of 43 per cent female. It also noted that 36 per cent were of racial minority extract.

The statistics released by the board also provided a breakdown of each casino with its activities, although they are much curbed at present through enforced reduced capacity.