Whatever normal is for a city like Las Vegas, it's going to take a while to get back there.
So says South Point Casino owner Michael Gaughan.
"I've been here since 1952 and this is probably the worst thing that's ever happened to (Las Vegas)," Gaughan told the Las Vegas Sun regarding the coronavirus pandemic. "I don't think it can get any worse. Hopefully, by the end of March or April, this will be over."
But Gaughan admitted Las Vegas might not fully recover until 2022.
"Strip hotels will have their work cut out for them," Gaughan said. "I do think that by the start of 2022, we should be back to completely normal. I just hope Las Vegas can get back to where it was. Everybody is trying to survive and keep as many working as they can."
Las Vegas was shut down between mid-March and June 4, when some hotel-casinos began to reopen. Those two-plus months were devastating to the city and, even now, some resorts remain closed. The Encore, a Steve Wynn property, announced it was ceasing midweek operations because of weak customer demand.
Travel to Las Vegas has been going up, but at a snail's pace.
Gaughan made his comments at a ribbon-cutting event for a new 40,000-square-foot equestrian arena at his resort south of the Strip.
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