Ontario Casinos reopened, but new restrictions changed all of that!

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

If you are the type of person that enjoys celebrating a win with your friends in a casino setting where you once sat, ate, and drank you might be in for a rude awakening. Yes, it was true that some of Ontario’s casinos did reopen, but things have changed.

Starting last Saturday, indoor dining at restaurants and bars in the three-hotspot regions (Ottawa, Peel, and Toronto), is now prohibited. This means all gyms, movie theatres, and casinos are now closed. These measures are going to be in place for at least 28 days.

Even before the newly implemented restrictions, you could no longer just take a bus or drive to the casino and walk-in anymore. No, it took registering or booking online spots. Guests who did not have a pre-booked reservation would have to manually register with an online representative for the next available play session for that day and that is if you were one of the lucky ones as there were a small number of gamblers allowed inside for a (two-hour period) in some cases after which you would have to leave to make room for the next batch of gamblers.

Registering for a place required for you to hand over your email as well as your phone number and states clearly that this information would be given to the government for the purpose of tracking or tracing just in case, they need to locate you or others that attended the casino and might be sick or at risk.

Think that’s it? Think again it gets better. There was no dining on the premises and you the gambler were not allowed to carry any food either. Social distancing and mask muzzling was in full effect and you would also be tagged with a wristband. Talk about (dealing excitement big-time) this is it.

The great Canadian reopened its eleven properties as of September 28th, as part of Ontario’s stage three framework for reopening the economy, but no table games were allowed, just slots, with a maximum limit of 50 persons.

It is anyone’s guess if there is going to be any casinos open in the future unless the government allows them to gamble on the roadside as they have allowed bars and restaurants to now serve there.

The Mayor of Toronto recently said that even though he knows it is going to be financially painful for businesses he is on the side of the health official when it comes to following more strict guidelines that are needed to flatten the curve.

Until now, gamblers in Ontario and New Brunswick could consider themselves lucky because according to the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, casino properties in British Columbia and Nova Scotia remained closed.

“I am pleased we are able to safely reopen our facilities in Ontario and New Brunswick, allowing us to bring back to work team members in each province,” stated Rod Baker, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Once open, gaming revenues in each jurisdiction will be significantly reduced due to operating restrictions,” Baker continued. “The reductions will be especially significant for our Ontario properties where, due to the 50 guest maximum restriction, we expect no material financial benefit to the company from our elevens Ontario locations.”

“In B.C., no approval has been granted for casinos to reopen, and as such, the company will continue to manage its assets in the closed state,” Baker concluded.

It looks like Ontario is now back in the same boat as British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Well, it was good while it lasted.