The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Agency released a zero revenue report for the month of April, since all six of the state’s casinos have been closed since March 16. For the state of Maryland, the goose egg translates into more than $60 million of lost revenue from gaming taxes.
The lottery agency announced the loss in a press release last week. In April 2019, total revenue was about $145.2 million. Contributions to the state in that month were about $60.2 million. That includes $45.2 million set aside for the state’s Education Trust Fund. Casino revenues also support jurisdictions where the casinos are located and Maryland’s horse racing industry.
“These are truly unprecedented times,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica in the press release. “The casinos generate vital revenue for the state, but we remain focused on the health and safety of the casinos’ patrons and employees as we plan for reopening.”
Medenica said the casinos are working hard on preparations for reopening when restrictions are lifted.
“One advantage is that they already have extensive surveillance and security measures in place, which gives them unique capabilities for monitoring their patrons’ adherence to social distancing and other safety protocols,” Medenica said.
Meanwhile, Maryland gaming officials are discussing ways to safely reopen the casino industry, including plans to limit capacity by possibly one half, temperature checks of guests at entry points, PPE like masks, extensive cleaning, and Plexiglas barriers between slot machines and at the cashier’s cage.
“These operating procedures and protocols we are developing will be in place for some period of time,” Medenica told ABC News. “So it really is establishing a new normal that we will be following for some period of time. We want to get it right, but we also know we are going to constantly be tweaking it to make it even better as we go forward.”
