It has been three weeks since Gateway Casinos and Entertainment closed down all 14 of its Ontario gaming locations, and now all of them will be back to work. The company recently informed that the last one remaining to launch, Casino Rama, will renew operations on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The gaming hotspot will open doors for guests at 10 a.m.
The operator’s IT issues stem from a cyber-attack on April 16, 2023, causing it to close down all 14 of its gaming amenities across Ontario. After dealing with the problem, the company initiated a phased reopening plan, launching one casino at a time. Now, after Casino Rama restarts work all of its gambling locations will be back to normal and up and running.
Last Casino Set to Launch
After the casino east of Orillia reopens on Tuesday morning, the operator will have all of its locations online. However, it did not provide any details about the cyber-attack from the middle of April. It also did not specify who was behind the attack or whether it has paid the ransom which also remained undisclosed to the public.
The closure of its properties also saw the cancellation of several shows at Casino Rama’s premium entertainment centre, however, events were back to normal a week later. During the downtime of the gaming floor, the hotel at the resort remained open for guests, as well as two restaurants and the spa. But slot machines and table games were off-limits for patrons.
In its latest press, the operator informed that both slots and table games will now restart work on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. In addition to that, Weirs, St. Germain’s Steakhouse and Centre Bar will also be available for visiting at certain hours. Meanwhile, the Simcoe Yard House and the Couchiching Court Buffet should restart work sometime this week.
It was also reported that the upcoming show at the property’s entertainment centre will result as planned and the official schedule can be found on its official website. In the meantime, the closure has been much worse for some employees as some of the non-unionized staff members have been without a cheque for a while. It remains unclear whether it has been the case for the unionized ones.
Some of the upcoming shows include a show by country singer Chris Janson will take over the stage on Friday, May 12, 2023, and the event will begin at 9 p.m. He will be followed by Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and Haywire on the next day. Casino’s live show schedule also includes Collective Soul in June and Daughtry also in June.
Looking After Local Charities
Besides providing gambling and hospitality services, Casino Rama is also taking care of local charity organizations. One instance of that was its CA$5,000 donation to The Sharing Place Food Centre in December 2022. The gaming property has been a long-term supporter of the food bank and its December contribution has been the latest of many.
Source: Dawson, Dave “Casino Rama set to reopen Tuesday following ransomware attack” OrilliaMatters, May 8, 2023
