Alberta casino hotspots will soon see their official reopening sooner than expected, making the province the first Canadian region to launch in-person gambling following months of lockdown. Premier Jason Kenney made it clear that casino locations and bingo halls now have the right to relaunch operation. Players will have the chance to enjoy the slot machines, but no table gaming will be available for the time being.
Mid-March saw the official closure of brick-and-mortar casino venues and gambling halls across the Canadian provinces, as people were recommended to practice physical distancing. Ever since then, online gambling has been the only legal way of gaming for many people. Now that the summer has come, businesses reopening plans were devised by all provinces.
Alberta Allows Land-Based Operation
Alberta’s government made it clear that the casino venue reopening is about to take place in the third stage of the reopening plan. However, a reconsideration was made and this reopening became part of the second phase, which was greenlighted recently. The gaming hotspots will be able to reopen whenever they are ready, which is a process including the implementation of various safety measures.
The provincial health guidelines are going to be followed closely by the casino locations relaunching operation this month. Every brick-and-mortar facility will have to be cleaning the entire casino floor on a regular basis, along with the individual disinfecting of every slot machine in use. In addition to that, physical distancing will also be promoted across the venues. This would easily happen with special markers on the floor.
They will make it easy for people to mind the distance between them and therefore engage in safe casino gaming. The areas of the casino floor where many people gather will have to see directing of the foot traffic, as to avoid congregations of patrons in one spot. It should also be noted that casino locations and gambling hubs won’t offer table gaming for now.
More Casinos Open Soon
Popular table gaming offerings will remain prohibited on the premises of the casino venues, as their very nature requires frequent disinfection. Gaming cards and chips are the objects all players touch on a regular basis while table gaming. River Cree Resort and Casino Chief Executive Officer Vik Mahajan was happy with the good news about the upcoming relaunch of in-person gaming.
The gaming venue in Enoch Cree Nation, west of Edmonton launched operation on June 12 welcoming individuals from near and far. Sanitation stations were placed across the popular gaming resort, making sure that all areas offer safety measures to the people frequenting it.
Mr. Mahajan also pointed out that some of the laid-off employees are also returning to their place of work and they are ready to make this summer a memorable one. River Cree Resort and Casino also pointed out that the preparation for this launch included the training of a special group of workers that will take care of the sanitizing of the casino floor with all the slot machines in operation. Upcoming weeks are expected to see more casino venues relaunch in-person gambling.
