USA Casinos Enjoying Good 2021, Canadian Casinos Struggle

Home » USA Casinos Enjoying Good 2021, Canadian Casinos Struggle

Casinos in the USA are currently enjoying a fantastic start to the year. However, just across the border in the north, Canadian casinos are struggling. The Canadian Gambling industry is the polar opposite of the US market. The COVID virus has continued to affect Canada, forcing the countries casinos to remain closed.

USA casinos thrive Canadian casinos struggle

Record Start to 2021 for USA Casinos

So far, 2021 has been a record-equalling start for gambling in the United States. For the first quarter of this year, casinos in the USA generated gross gaming revenue in excess of $11 billion. This equals the best year on record. This comes after 2020, which was one of the worst years on record. The COVID-19 virus forced all casinos in the USA to close down for several months.

In the second half of 2020, many casinos were able to start opening again, but at limited capacity. Thanks to the COVID vaccine become widely available in the USA, many casinos have been able to start operating at 100% capacity in recent weeks. It is clear the public has missed being able to gamble.

Things Very Different in Canada

While the USA has enjoyed a record-equalling first quarter of 2021, things are nowhere near as good in Canada. So far, 2021 has been no different to 2020. Several major casinos in Canada have recently been told to close down, due to spikes in COVID infections. Casinos will be able to open when the time is right.

The big difference between the USA and Canada seems to be the availability of COVID vaccines. Canada was also able to reopen many of its casinos in the second half of 2020, but like the USA, these plans were affected by surges in COVID infections. The big difference though is that the USA has been able to make the vaccines available in greater numbers. Canada relies on America for many of its medical supplies, including the vaccine.

As a result, fewer doses have been available to Canadian citizens. Officials from Canada have also stated that infections in 2021 are worse than last year. The virus is spreading more quickly and younger people are being admitted to hospitals. Vaccine availability has increased significantly in the last month or so, so hopefully, the gambling industry can begin working to reopen, much like USA casinos.

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