MGM Resorts Institutes New Vaccination Mandate For Employees

• All new hires and salaried employees will be expected to show proof of vaccination by the end of the year.
• MGM stocks fell 4% after announcing the new vaccination mandate policy.

LAS VEGAS - MGM Resorts International will soon be instituting a required vaccination policy for all of its current salaried and future employees.

Part of the change will take effect August 30, and any new hire will have to show proof of vaccination in order to continue working for the company. Salaried employees will have a bit longer to get their affairs in order, as they will be required to provide proof of vaccination by October 15.

Vaccination Mandate Policy

“I know that for some of you this may be an unwelcome development — a consideration that we did not take lightly when making this decision, However, as one of the largest and most trusted operators and employers in our industry, MGM Resorts is determined to do our part to curb the spread of the virus and help counter alarming trends in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Vaccination is the most effective tool in doing so," said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts International.

Current hourly employees will not be affected by the policy, at least not yet.

“Our goal is to get as many people vaccinated as possible. We’re continuing to explore a variety of ways to do that, including expanding vaccination requirements among our workforce. This is an incredibly complex situation and we’re examining how expanded policies would potentially work and be implemented,” said Brian Ahern, MGM Spokesman, in a statement.

Options For MGM Employees

Fortunately for those employed by MGM, the company frequently holds small vaccine clinics at all of its Strips. Vaccine doses are made available there for the entertainers, employees and their families, and third-party vendor employees.

Alternatively, if employees are uncomfortable with the vaccine for religious reasons or otherwise, they may feel inclined to quit their state-based gambling job at MGM.

Otherwise, they risk being fired for not complying with the company mandate.

MGM has made the news before by laying off thousands of employees, so it's safe to assume they're willing to enforce their policy.

Notably, MGM's stock has fallen roughly 4% in the day following the announcement of their new vaccination mandates. It remains to be seen how these policies will affect the gambling casino giant in the long term.