Casinos across Ontario ready to reopen as province enters Step 3

Hanover, Ont. -

They’re putting the final touches on for Friday’s 9 a.m. reopening at the Hanover Raceway Slots and Casino.

“The phones been ringing off the hook since the announcement last Friday. A lot of our valued customers are looking for entertainment options, after not having them for quite some time,” says Gateway Casino Hanover’s General Manager Derek Tierney.

Casinos across Ontario can reopen on Friday at 50 per cent capacity.

Hanover, Clinton and Sarnia casinos will open at 9 a.m. sharp, while casinos in London and Woodstock will open at 12:01 a.m.

It’s not just customers returning to Ontario casinos, hundreds of employees will also be back on the job.

“We’re actually recalling staff that have been off since before the pandemic began, so March 2020. So, some of the employees have been off for 17 months. It’s been great to make those calls,” says Tierney.

The horse tracks attached to many of Ontario’s casinos are also relishing their return.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship between the two of us. Wagering goes back and forth. Our wagerers go over there, and some their wagering comes our way. So, it all works together,” says Hanover Raceway General Manager Steve Fitzsimmons.

It’s been a yo-yo of lockdowns. Casinos closed in March 2020. Reopened October 2020. Closed December 2020. Reopened February 2021, and closed again in April.

It won’t be business as usual at casinos when they do reopen again on Friday. Not yet, anyway. Table games will remain off limits and the casino's famous buffets won’t be available yet either.

“Things will look a little different, but some things will look familiar. We’ve still got our directed signage on the floor, and hand sanitizing stations. Our buffet won’t be open yet, but it’s still really good to be reopening,” says Tierney.