NICHOLS, N.Y. – Tioga Downs Racetrack has sent layoff notices to more than 600 employees, while more than 300 were sent to employees at Vernon Downs Casino Hotel.
Both venues are owned by Jeff Gural, who said the racinos had to notify employees in advance under the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
Photo courtesy of Tioga Downs
According to the WARN notice on the New York State Department of Labor website, Tioga Downs racetrack will permanently close on Oct. 1. It is not clear in the notice if the closure includes the casino.
The WARN notice for Vernon Downs says the site will also close Oct. 1, but does not say if the closure is temporary or permanent.
NEWSChannel 2 has reached out to Gural for more information, and is waiting to hear back.
Both notices site ‘unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19’ as the reason for dislocation.
Employees at both gaming venues were furloughed in March at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
