Bill Miller, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association, has praised “welcome news” that will put the US “on equal footing with other countries” after the country relaxed its COVID entry requirements.
This comes as the administration of President Joe Biden disclosed that air travellers will no longer require proof of a negative coronavirus test result before entering the country.
As a result of the news that will “bolster our long-term recovery”, Miller states that the gaming industry is prepared to build on a “record start” to the current year.
“The AGA and our members have been vocal proponents of this move for months, and we are thankful for the leadership of Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen, Rep. Titus and the entire Nevada delegation who continue to support gaming communities across the country,” Miller explained
“We are grateful to the CDC, all those in the health and science community, and the Biden administration for tackling this enormous challenge and making this a reality.
“At the same time, we cannot let up on ensuring international tourism fully returns. We continue to call on the State Department to speed up international visa processing time by investing in additional staff and allowing virtual interviews.
“We know that eliminating the testing requirement will open our doors to more international visitors and the administration should make the process for entry as efficient and accessible as possible.”
Last month, the AGA detailed what it dubbed a “remarkable” bounce back through the past year after US commercial gaming got off to its fastest ever start through Q1.
This record, documented by the group’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker, saw revenue reach $14.31m, up almost 29 per cent year-on-year, which almost surpassed the all-time quarterly record of $14.35bn set through Q4 2021.
Moreover, the quick start to the year was hugely helped along by the $5.31bn gained in March, a figure that marks the highest-grossing revenue month in industry history.
