Del Lago furloughed more than 1,000 employees amid pandemic

TYRE, N.Y. — Del Lago Resort & Casino furloughed more than 1,000 employees after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to abruptly shut its doors four months ago.

The furloughs began on April 9 and are “expected to last for an as yet undetermined period,” according to a WARN notice the casino resort filed with the New York State Department of Labor. WARN is short for worker adjustment and retraining notification.

Del Lago Resort & Casino and all casinos in New York state closed on March 16, amid orders from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the dangerous virus spread rapidly across the Empire State.

The furloughs impact a total of 1,077 people at del Lago, per the WARN notice.

“On July 13, pursuant to state and federal regulations, del Lago issued WARN notices to all company employees that are currently furloughed,” Lance Young, executive VP & general manager, del Lago Resort & Casino, said in a statement. “On July 24, they were simply posted to the [New York State] Department of Labor’s website. Nothing new occurred and the notices do not reflect termination or ‘cuts,’ but are required by state and federal governments when workers are furloughed for a certain period of time.”

Young added that del Lago is “eager to safely open our doors and welcome back our employees and patrons.”

A number of del Lago’s casino competitors are already open. The Oneida Indian Nation’s Turning Stone, Point Place, and Yellow Brick Road casinos reopened on June 10 and the Seneca Nation also reopened its Western New York casinos and other gaming halls in June.

But non-Native American commercial casinos, including del Lago and Tioga Downs Resort & Casino in the Southern Tier, have remained closed, awaiting the go-ahead from the governor.