Gateway Casinos and Entertainment has started the reopening process of its properties across Ontario. On the evening of Monday, May 1, 2023, its Playtime Casino Wasaga Beach officially restarted work at its gaming floor and is now fully operational. The property was out of order for just over two weeks after the company suffered a cyber-attack breach on April 16.
As one of the premier operators of land-based casinos in Canada, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment runs 14 locations in Ontario, 15 in British Columbia, and two in Alberta. Currently, the company employs approximately 7,000 people and features approximately 369 table games, 14,284 slots, 95 food and beverage outlets and 564 hotel rooms across its properties in Canada.
Reopening Starts
At the end of last week, the operator reported that it will kick off a phased reopening of its casino sites in Ontario, and the process is now in motion. The Wasaga Beach casino kicked off operations on Monday evening at around 8 p.m. Local gambler, Earl Veale, was one of the many waiting for it to open, and he headed straight to the roulette tables.
Prior to that, on Saturday, the operator recommenced work at Gateway Casinos Innisfil, which welcomed back guests at around 12 p.m. Slot and table games are available for patrons of the venue. In addition to that, the operator also reported that its Gateway Restaurant has also restarted work and is now accepting bookings and welcoming guests.
In its latest press release, the gaming leader said that it will continue to open sites across the province. However, it remains unclear what locations and when they will open. Currently, there is no exact date for Casino Rama in Orillia. But over the weekend the company assured its patrons that concerts and live shows at the venue will be held as schedule says.
On Saturday, the company also renewed operations at Gateway Casinos London which is now welcoming back guests and conducting regular day-to-day gambling activities. Both slot and table games are available from 12 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to that, the property’s Gateway Restaurant is also up and running and accepting bookings.
In its statement, the company also thanked customers, employees, and government partners for their patience during the downtime, while it worked on fixing the tech issue. It also said that despite the unfortunate incident it will continue to work with third-party experts to determine if it has affected personal information while providing the latest updates to the public.
Info is Probably Leaked, Says Expert
Shortly after the news about the cyber-attack on Gateway Casinos and Entertainment which caused a system-wide failure, tech expert, Carmi Levy said a few words on the situation. He explained one of the biggest concerns when it comes to a ransomware attack is that it could lead to personal data being compromised. In his expert opinion, this is a very likely result in this case too.
Source: Phillips, Kim “Casino in Wasaga Beach reopens” CTV News Barrie, May 2, 2023
