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John Restrepo

Principal, RGE Economics

John Restrepo

Just last week, Nevada posted the highest unemployment rate in the United States for any state ever. That stat tells you all you need to know about how the Covid-19 lockdown has affected Nevada and its tourism industry. More than a quarter of Nevada’s workforce is employed, more than the U.S. average during the Great Depression. Just three months ago, the state’s unemployment rate sat at 3.8 percent, the lowest ever.

Economist John Restrepo has been studying the Nevada economy for more than 20 years and he points out the devastating impacts of the lockdown and how the state can rebound from it, although there are still plenty of uncertainties. Restrepo’s RGE Economics publishes the widest and most complete set of data on the Nevada economy. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros from his offices in Las Vegas in mid-May.

Roger Gros is publisher of Global Gaming Business, the industry's leading gaming trade publication, and all its related publications. Prior to joining Global Gaming Business, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows. He is the author of the best-selling book, How to Win at Casino Gambling (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its fourth edition. Gros was named "Businessman of the Year" for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Gaming Association in 2012.

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