Just weeks after the Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan announced it would be closing, the Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino has made the same announcement. The closing is set to take place in September, and is the result of a rapidly declining gaming industry in Puerto Rico.
The casino itself is 7,000 square-feet, and features 350 slot machines in addition to 10 table games. The casino also has a rather strategic position, situated just across the street from Piers 3 and 4 in Old San Juan, known for the docking of many large cruise ships.
One source said, “They are seeing the rumblings on the horizon,” which is in reference to the upcoming implementation of a government-regulated video-lottery network. The government expects to haul in $100 million to $500 million annually from sales of the tickets, which will be available on machines throughout the island.
In July, the casino at the Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan’s Condado, the second-largest casino on the island, shut down as well, leaving 144 employees on the street. Last April, the Radisson Ambassador Plaza Hotel & Casino, also in Condado, closed shut down, leaving 200 employees jobless.
Other casinos have closed over the last few years, including casinos at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo, Gran Meliá Golf Resort in Río Grande, Pichi’s Convention Center in Guayanilla, Caribe Hilton in San Juan’s Puerta de Tierra, Diamond Palace in San Juan’s Condado, and the Dorado Beach, Cerromar Beach and Embassy Suite hotels in Dorado.
