Sands Casino in Pennsylvania Lays Off 80

It has been less than a year since its opening but the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is laying off 80 employees.

The positions will be across the board and represent a 9 percent total reduction in workforce size at the casino. This brings the number of employees at the Sands down to 780, which is down about 200 from when they first opened last May.

“It’s based on business demand,” said Sands Casino President Robert DeSalvio on Friday. “It’s fairly common for casinos and other businesses to go back through and see where you can run things more effectively.”

Having projected a first year earnings from slot machines at $465 million, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board instead  expects that figure to be around $347 million.