Puerto Rico’s casinos and horse racing tracks have resumed operating now that electricity has been restored and flood waters have receded from Hurricane Fiona, a Category 1 storm that made landfall on the island on September 18.
Miguel Vega, president of the Casino Committee of the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association and Ismael Vega, general manager of Casino Metro in San Juan, made a joint statement: “We have resumed operations since last Tuesday at noon, and everything is back to normal. The flow of visitors is similar to what it was before the hurricane.”
Most racetracks have also reopened, although business is about 25 percent lower than it was before the storm. That decline can be attributed to the number of racetracks still closed due to lack of electrical power or structural damage. Jaime Rivera Emmanuelli, executive director of the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission (CJGPR), said in a statement: “As the days have passed, both gaming and horse racing agencies have been gradually recovering.”
Camarero Racetrack resumed operations September 20 and began holding races again on September 22. Juan Carlos Santaella, director of the Commission’s Equestrian Office, said “As water and electricity services have been restored, more horse racing agencies are resuming operations. As of today, there are 404 agencies in operation, and 76 are in the process of reopening to the public.”
Emmanuelli spoke of the importance of the gaming and horse racing industry to the economy of the island. “These are businesses that complement the environments of commercial areas and from which, in turn, other businesses are nurtured. Therefore, their return is vital for Puerto Rico’s recovery and the strengthening of the industry.”
The Department of Economic Development is offering emergency incentives to businesses that suffered damage and loss of income to help them restart their operations.
