Resorts World Las Vegas, Westgate Set Vax Mandates; CEO Had COVID-19

Posted on: September 13, 2021, 09:06h. 

Last updated on: October 5, 2021, 10:15h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Las Vegas casinos Resorts World and Westgate have announced new conditions of employment to work at the Southern Nevada businesses. All new hires must provide proof of vaccination prior to beginning their new careers.

Resorts World Westgate Las Vegas vaccine
A roulette table game is prepared for play by a Resorts World Las Vegas employee in June. Effective immediately, new hires at the Las Vegas Strip casino must be vaccinated prior to their first shift. (Image: Nevada Independent)

The complex, owned and operated by Malaysia-based Genting Group, revealed that incoming workers — both hourly and salary — must be inoculated from COVID-19. The new condition of employment is effective today, Sept. 13. Westgate is implementing more stringent vax protocols next month. The off-Strip property says all workers must receive their vaccines by mid-October.

The COVID-19 announcements from the Las Vegas casinos follow President Joe Biden announcing a federal vaccine requirement. That mandates all employers who have 100 or more employees must force their staffers to receive coronavirus vaccines or test them weekly.

Resorts World Las Vegas, the $4.3 billion integrated resort on the Strip that opened in June.

Westgate Scare

Westgate, the off-Strip casino resort that is today best known for its world-renowned sportsbook, is demanding that all of its workers become vaccinated by October 15, 2021. The command applies to all team members, regardless of when they were hired.

David Siegel, the 86-year-old president and CEO of Westgate Resorts, told his Las Vegas staff in a memo that the jabs greatly improved his odds of beating the coronavirus during a severe battle with the virus. Siegel said he contracted COVID-19 in July, and the virus resulted in him developing pneumonia and a suppressed immune system. He was admitted to a hospital for his oxygen levels to be monitored.

The doctors who treated me told me that had I not been vaccinated, I likely would not be here today to share this story with you,” Siegel disclosed. “The antibodies in my blood from being vaccinated helped me fight the virus and, to put it simply, the COVID-19 vaccine saved my life.”

Siegel says the coronavirus has taken several Westgate workers’ lives. He believes a fully vaccinated workforce will reduce such tragedy in the future.

“The only real solution to encourage vaccinations is to require it — this is the best approach to protect everyone,” Siegel concluded.

Vegas Vax Rates Lag

US Rep. Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas) is supportive of Biden’s new mandate that requires all Strip casinos to force vaccination, or test unvaccinated personnel weekly.

“You want the jobs back, you want the conventions back, you want the fun times back, then we have to make recovering the priority and getting those shots in arms,” Titus declared.

Titus says it’s a better alternative to ongoing operating restrictions that many have labeled as draconian.

Customers don’t want to come if they feel like they’re going in a hospital to gamble,” the Congresswoman opined.

Las Vegas is lagging in terms of vaccination rates compared with the rest of the country. At the end of August, roughly 53 percent of Clark County residents aged 12 and older had been fully vaccinated. That is 10 percent below the national vaccination average for the population aged 12 and older.