Economy Hits Mountaineer Casino And Causes Major Layoffs

Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort is one of the largest employers in Northern West Virginia, but their hold on that title became a little looser on Friday. They have announce4d that they are laying off 175 workers.

"It's regrettable that given the current business conditions, we're forced to take this action. It's vital we take the necessary action to remain financially profitable," said President and General Manager of Mountaineer, Jack Sours.

There will be no distinction between the type of workers that will be fired. The layoffs will occur to both full time and part time workers. Many different departments will be affected by the job cuts.

The casino resort will try to cut the jobs that they can find others to fill. New jobs will not be created, but existing workers will be asked to pick up some of the duties of the laid off workers.

The economy is the driving force behind the job cuts. For Mountaineer, not only is their revenue decreasing because of the recession, but also because other states are changing their gambling laws.

With more casinos going up in neighboring states, people no longer are traveling to Mountaineer to do their gambling. Even with the job cuts, Mountaineer remains a major contributor in terms of jobs.

Last year, table games were legalized at the casino, and almost seven hundred jobs were created because of the law changes.

January 16, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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