The provincial government of Ontario has most recently announced its economic recovery plan, which will see the restart of many business enterprises, including gambling properties. And in light of those events, the management of Casino Rama is considering its options and has eyed August as a potential reopening time. However, the casinos’ reopening is reliant on how quickly are vaccines distributed to the people.

The casino in question is based in Ontario and it is property of Gateway Casinos and Entertainment. The casino has been shut down due to the occurrence of the unprecedented situation more than a year ago and depending on how the reopening plan goes, its patron may be able to set foot on its gambling premises in a few months.

If All Goes to Plan

A spokesperson for Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Rob Mitchell stated that the casino will be able to relaunch operations, provided that the government plan reaches its final stage 3. In this third stage, the government has set the milestones of having over 70 to 80% of the province’s adult population must have received one dose, and have a quarter vaccinated with two doses.

Mr. Mitchell explained that if the government can maintain the current vaccination rates and reach its vaccination goals, Casino Rama might be able to reopen this August. However, he reminded that there are still many variables and uncertainties on the matter as there might be a new spike in the cases of the unprecedented situation or new obstacles in the vaccine process.

A while ago, the gaming corporation was able to reopen some of its Ontario casino properties with 50 individuals at a time capacity during the government’s colored-tier system. Mr. Mitchell explained that back then the company complied with all health and safety protocols issued by the health authorities, as both staff members and guests had to wear protective equipment such as face masks.

The spokesperson stated that it remains unclear whether in the future the company’s casinos in the province will be required to implement the previous strict health and safety measures, and if yes to what degree. However, Mr. Mitchell remains cautiously optimistic that the business reopening process can be executed and the casino will be open this August.

Reconfiguration and Improvement

The corporation previously informed that Casino Rama has undergone rearrangements during the off-season caused by the unprecedented situation. In order to prepare for the reopening of the gaming entity, the company had to provide social distancing space, and thus it had to remove 400 slot machines and 20 table games. New machines will also be added to the casino’s gaming arsenal.

Reopening Cancelled

Previously, there were plans to reopen the Ontario gaming hotspot in November last year. After just announcing its reopening plan, the casino had to postpone them to a later date. This was due to the ever-changing situation surrounding the contagious virus, which had left no other choice to Ontario’s government but to suspend indoor gatherings.

Source: Matys, Frank “Casino Rama ‘cautiously optimistic’ for August reopening” Simcoe, May 25, 2021