A summer of no fun is causing havoc among North American family-friendly amusement locations.
According to TV channel Fox Business, amusement venues are struggling to cope with the pandemic.
In a detailed report the channel said that arcades, mini-golf, play centres and theme parks are all catering to "pint-sized crowds" as locations try to safely reopen with strict regulations or are still waiting for local rules to allow them to open at all.
It quotes big names such as Dave & Buster’s and the in-trouble Chuck E Cheese as just the tip of the iceberg. Non-profit organisations are also struggling as a result, as well as the commercial side of the industry. The TV channel pointed to New York-based Pier 25 mini-golf and its beach volleyball courts, run by Manhattan Youth community centre, that have been closed since April.
Golf courses, it points out, have reopened in 50 states, but mini-golf such as that run by Manhattan Youth remains closed. It would normally turn over $600,000 between April and October, all for the scholarship programme for summer camps it runs.
At the commercial end, arcades, soft play and theme parks are either not open or have to be re-thought for crowd restrictions. The Get Air Trampoline Park in Montana, closed in March and reopened in May for 50 customers at a time instead of normally over 200. It has lost $700,000 in revenue, according to the TV channel's report.
Fox Business reported that Chuck E Cheese is in talks to try to raise money to avoid total closure while it navigates Chapter XI bankruptcy and the Wall Street Journal reports that it is nearly $1bn in debt.
Meanwhile, California’s Disneyland remains closed and in some states the industry is taking legal action to challenge the shut-down imposed upon them, while state-run lottery terminals are open for business.
