The Isle of Capri, Inc.'s newest casino at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Pennsylvania has laid off 70 employees because of slower than expected business at the $60-million facility which opened July 1, according to the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.
The resort casino had 450 employees, and the Post-Gazette article quoted Isle of Capri spokesperson Jill Alexander that the facility recently reduced its workforce by 15 percent.
The Isle also blamed the current admission rules for lower than expected business at the casino. To be allowed inside the casino, gamblers must be a customer of the resort as an overnight guest, user of resort restaurants, spa or golf courses, or buy a $10 resort gift card. It costs $45 for an annual resort membership.
The restrictive access rules were put in place by the state legislature as a way to make such casinos a resort amenity rather than a stand-alone public attraction.
The Isle of Capri owns four casinos in Iowa, including the Isle of Capri Casino in Bettendorf, the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport, the Isle of Capri Casino in Waterloo and the Lady Luck Casino in Marquette.
The Isle in June signed an option agreement to sell its Davenport casino for $51 million to Kehl Development, which has reached an agreement with the gambling license-holder, the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA), to build a new $151-million land-based casino near I-80 and Brady Street, Davenport.
