LOUISIANA – On Monday morning, Chairman Ronnie Jones, of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board ordered the closure of casinos due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As of noon on Monday, all 20 casinos in the state of Louisiana have begun closing procedures.
By midnight, all casinos must be closed, and the closure must be in effect for a minimum of 14 days, but that can be extended at any time.
Read the full closure order below:
In response to the closure order, Dan Real, Regional President of Caesars Entertainment and General Manager of Harrah’s New Orleans released the following statement:
Earlier today, Governor Edwards and the Louisiana State Gaming Board ordered that casinos within Louisiana, including Harrah’s New Orleans suspend gaming operations for two weeks, beginning at midnight on March 17, 2020.
The decision was made out of concern for the public health. To date, there have not been any reported cases of COVID-19 at Harrah’s New Orleans.
This is a challenging time for all of us in New Orleans. Our city and Harrah’s New Orleans have always persevered when faced with major obstacles and I am confident we will rise to the occasion once again. We will continue to work with our state and local leaders and our team members to get through this difficult time together.
During the closure, Harrah’s New Orleans will provide two weeks of pay to all Harrah’s New Orleans employees.
We look forward to working with the Louisiana Gaming Board to execute a smooth closing process and will reopen as soon as the Governor and state gaming board determines it is appropriate to do so.