For the second time this year and all casino and slot parlors in the American state of Illinois have reportedly been ordered to bar their doors for an indeterminate period of time due to an increase in the number of local coronavirus infections.

According to a report from CDC Gaming Reports, the latest closure order from Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker was issued yesterday after the Midwestern state recorded a twelfth straight day in which new coronavirus infections topped 10,000. The source detailed that some 265,778 people in ‘The Land of Lincoln’ are now suffering with the potentially-lethal ailment while local health officials are seemingly eager to shut down all non-essential activities so as to help counter any further spread.

Second shutdown:

Illinois is reportedly home to ten riverboat casinos as well as 7,135 slot locations that were permitted to revive operations from July 1 following an over 15-week coronavirus-related shutdown. However, these venues are now to be obliged to re-enter lockdown from the early hours of Friday morning with the state purportedly uncertain as to when this new restriction may ultimately be lifted.

Common concern:

Carlo Santarelli from Deutsche Bank Securities Incorporated reportedly detailed that the move from Illinois comes only a few days after officials in nearby Michigan instituted a similar three-week shutdown for its trio of commercial casinos in Detroit. The analyst purportedly moreover pronounced that Rush Street Gaming is to temporarily pull the plug on operations within its Rivers Casino Philadelphia facility from Friday while ‘multiple states have implemented more stringent restrictions’ regarding coronavirus safety without going as far as to actually fully shutter their casinos.

Santarelli reportedly stated…

“We think it is unrealistic to assume this is the last of the closures, especially with the light at the end of the tunnel identifiable with the vaccine.”

Pained players:

The source reported that the lockdown will particularly impact Penn National Gaming Incorporated and the newly-enlarged Caesars Entertainment Incorporated as they are each responsible for three Illinois casinos. But the closure order is to purportedly furthermore financially hurt fellow operators Boyd Gaming Corporation, Rush Street Gaming, Delaware North Companies Gaming and Entertainment Incorporated and DraftKings Incorporated as well as those firms responsible for the state’s collection of 37,459 slots.

Ohio order:

In related news and the source reported that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently instituted a daily curfew directive that runs for seven hours from ten o’clock every evening. Although the Republican leader has not shuttered any of the casinos or slot parlors in ‘The Buckeye State’, his spokesperson did tell a local newspaper that it is now difficult to justify an emergency visit to a gaming establishment.