Last week, 11 casinos operated by Great Canadian Gaming re-opened to the public after being shut down for more than six months due to the pandemic.
This week, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment is reopening all of its casinos - except for Casino Rama.
Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 8, locations in Woodstock, Clinton and Hanover will re-open and all other Gateway locations – except for Casino Rama Resort – will re-open on Saturday, Oct. 10.
According to a Tweet from the casino, reopening "is not feasible to reopen a resort of this size."
Under this framework, all properties will be restricted to the government mandated maximum of 50 guests, and will only include slot machines. Table games will not be operational and non-gaming amenities will be very limited, noted a media release from Gateway.
We know that everyone is looking forward to Casino Rama Resort will opening, however, it will remain closed for now. Given the current 50-person capacity restrictions it is not feasible to reopen a resort of this size. We ask for your patience & we will update as we know more. pic.twitter.com/f3PI9z1O33
— Casino Rama Resort (@CasinoRamaLive) October 6, 2020
“We are excited to be able to re-open our Ontario properties and welcome back some of our team members and customers," said Tony Santo, CEO at Gateway Casinos.
"The health and well-being of our employees and guests is our top priority," said Santo. "We look forward to fully re-opening and welcoming more of our guests back in the future as capacities are increased and restrictions are lifted.”
Due to the 50-customer capacity restrictions, properties will be open to invited My Club Rewards members only. Invited members will be notified by email with details on how to make reservations.
"Maintaining a clean environment is a year-round priority and it is regular practice to clean all hard surfaces, such as door handles and tables," noted the media release.
"Under the current environment, Gateway is being hyper-vigilant in our cleaning protocols throughout our properties to prevent the spread of transmittable illnesses, including COVID-19.
Gateway has implemented a new reservation and virtual queue system that will allow guests to book their play time online, check-in upon arrival and safely wait in their vehicles until the casino is ready for their entry.
“This system will allow our staff to properly prepare the gaming floor for our guests, and ensure there is no congestion at the entrance as they wait to enter,” said Santo.
Meanwhile, Casino Rama staff will remain out of work and the casino will remain closed; it was closed on March 16 by OLG, a provincial crown agency.
Unifor Local 1090 president Corey Dalton said provincial regulations are handcuffing casino operations.
“The Ontario government has placed extensive restrictions on casinos,” he said, referencing the closure of table games and 50-person limits.
“Both the Union and the employer have asked the Ontario government to review this cap,” said Dalton.
“Local 1090 maintains a strong belief that the guest-limit needs to be proportionate to the physical size of each casino. Casino Rama has one of the largest gaming floors in Ontario in terms of square footage - there is an ability for Gateway to provide safe, physical distancing for a larger number of patrons than other facilities which can be 20% (or even less) of the square footage,” Dalton explained.
Santo agreed, saying the “50-customer capacity limit ... makes reopening very challenging.”
He said Gateway is “continuing to appeal to the appropriate government agencies in all provinces to allow us to re-open our operations in a safe and viable way.”
