Unemployment numbers have surged everywhere due to Covid-19-related shutdowns, but few industries have seen more employees furloughed than gaming.
Those official numbers rose more last week when Parx Casino in Bensalem and Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester both filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Parx, normally the state’s most profitable casino, reported 1,997 employees laid off in April, constituting the fourth largest mass layoff in the state since 2011. The property’s sister organization, Parx Racing, previously laid off 227.
“The company expects and hopes that this closure will be temporary; however, due to the unpredictability of current events involving the Covid-19 pandemic, we do not currently know if such closure might be permanent,” the company said in an April 8 letter to the labor department concerning the Parx layoffs.
Harrah’s Philadelphia reported 1,127 layoffs on March 18. “Chester Downs & Marina, LLC intends for the furloughs to be temporary,’ however, given the unknown certainty surrounding Covid-19, it is possible that the furlough could become a permanent layoff,” the company said in an April 24 letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.
