WYOMISSING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) announced today that pursuant to an order from Missouri Gaming Commission it will temporarily suspend operations at Argosy Casino Riverside, Hollywood Casino St. Louis, and River City Casino & Hotel beginning at midnight tonight through March 30, 2020 as a precautionary measure against the ongoing spread of COVID-19. The MGC will be continuing to work with the state’s licensed casinos, as well as local, state and federal health authorities to determine safe protocols for when operations may resume.
“The health and well-being of our guests and team members will always be our paramount concern,” said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National Gaming. “Since the coronavirus threat began, we have implemented stringent CDC-recommended protocols throughout our enterprise, including increased daily cleaning regimens, maximizing air circulation, cancelling or postponing all live events, and we’re in the process of reducing the number of chairs at our dining facilities, table games and poker rooms, as well as the number of slot machines in play at any one time, to increase social distancing, among other initiatives.
“As for our more than 2,600 team members in Missouri who will be impacted by this temporary closure, we plan to continue to pay their wages and benefits through the end of March. In addition, we’ll be donating perishable food items to local food banks in each of our home dock communities.
“This is a challenging time for all of us, and we are very appreciative of the overwhelming support and understanding from our guests and team members. We look forward to reopening our doors just as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will be taking the opportunity to continue our deep cleaning efforts and preparing our casino to welcome our loyal customers back,” concluded Mr. Snowden.
About Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in 41 gaming and racing properties in 19 jurisdictions and video gaming terminal operations with a focus on slot machine entertainment. We also offer live sports betting at our properties in Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In total, Penn National’s properties feature approximately 50,000 gaming machines, 1,300 table games and 8,800 hotel rooms. In addition, the Company operates an interactive gaming division through its subsidiary, Penn Interactive Ventures, LLC, which recently launched iGaming in Pennsylvania and, through strategic partnerships, operates online sports betting in Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Company also has a leading customer loyalty program, mychoice, with over five million active customers.
