KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Boyd Gaming, the parent company of the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, announced Tuesday they would be laying off nearly 600 employees at the Kansas City location.
The move is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed casinos and hotels across the country.
The company estimates it will lay off 578 employees in the first two weeks of July.
Employees who are not laid off are likely to remain on furlough for longer than six months after the day it began.
Boyd Gaming said it is not sure exactly how many employees will be affected, but listed a rough estimate of jobs being cut in their announcement of the layoffs.
The company provided a statement Tuesday to 41 Action News, explaining the reason for the decision:
There continues to be uncertainty surrounding opening dates for many of our properties across the country that have been closed since mid-March. In addition, it is very difficult to predict what business levels will look like when we reopen, and how long it will take for business to recover to normal levels.
While we are trying to be as transparent as possible with our team members, we cannot determine at this time exactly how many team members will be recalled to work, and how many will need to be laid off. As a result, in accordance with applicable laws, we are providing notice to a portion of our workforce of the possibility for layoffs.
While we deal with this uncertainty, we empathize with our furloughed team members and understand the difficulties they face. Accordingly, we are notifying furloughed team members that we will continue paying 100% of their benefit premiums through July 31.
As the situation continues to evolve and we learn more, we will continue to provide updates to our team members.
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