Visitors Welcomed Back To Indoor Niagara Falls Attractions As Restrictions Ease

Overall, casinos have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to deal with the pandemic in the best possible way, and they have more or less succeeded. When the casino does reopen its doors, do not expect business as usual. Maximum occupancy numbers will be strictly limited, and the likelihood is that only slot and electronic games will be available at first, with table games reopening at a later date.

  • Still he did manage a trip to Las Vegas last October when Nevada was also operating under the 50 per cent capacity rules, so his situation here was similar.
  • The COVID-19 virus wreaked havoc across the globe and the entertainment industry was hit the hardest since quarantine was implemented across the world.
  • Table games will not be available Friday, but the plan is to open them July 30 at Fallsview, which will give employees enough time to train and get used to dealing again, said Weel.
  • As an additional precaution, restaurants, shops, and pubs are still closed to prevent contracting the virus while visiting a land-based casino.
  • Signage, both traditional and digital, has been posted throughout the property reminding visitors of all health and safety measures in place.

If game tables are opened, said Keeling, they will have plexi-glass barriers separating each player and the dealer. Some employees at Elements Casino have returned to work in anticipation of the province allowing the facility to reopen later this month. The client https://khosrowisdreaming.org/ was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication. To make room for its gaming-floor expansion, what used to be the 365 Lounge and three retail areas were shut down.

Fallsview Casino and the neighbouring Casino Niagara, both located in Niagara Falls, officially reopened this morning at 10 am. But at an exclusive sneak peek for VIP members two days ago, which I attended, we had to wait a few more hours in line. During that hiatus, Niagara Casinos invested $15 million on renovations and gaming floor expansions, along with $1 million on health and safety improvements. Top executives with Niagara Falls Tourism, the Canadian Gaming Association and Niagara City Cruises were last week part of a group of local politicians and businesses pushing Ottawa for a firm and fast border reopening plan. Diodati said businesses in his region, particularly small and medium-sized ones, desperately need reopening plans to keep progressing. Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino Resort have sent more than $1 million to ensure the two gambling establishments are ready to open in a safe and secure manner.

  • “The phones been ringing off the hook since the announcement last Friday.
  • Diodati says he spoke to Richard Taylor, the president of casinos in Niagara Falls.
  • But the Casino is looking forward to being open to Canadian gamblers.
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  • When I check in with my dad, he’s also happy, because he won a small jackpot of $800, and now he’s up money.

The CN Tower reopened on Friday morning along with Vaughan’s Legoland, and Ripley’s Aquarium is scheduled to open on Saturday. In the Niagara Region, the Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara reopened on Friday. Tourism destinations in Toronto and other cities in southern Ontario are reopening this weekend in a sign of optimism about a return to something closer to normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Casino Niagara was closed due to the coronavirus on 16 March 2020 and reopened on 23 July 2021.

  • Plexiglass separators have also been installed on the gaming tables and between slot machines.
  • Fallsview Casino Resort will open with amenities like their ” […] hotel, gaming floor, slots, electronic table games, select dining establishments, the parking garage and Galleria shops and dining amenities.”
  • Under the Ontario government’s plan to safely and cautiously reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures during the pandemic, casinos and bingo halls could open as early as July 26 as part of Phase 3.
  • Carol Green, an employee at Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, sanitizes gaming machines prior to Friday’s opening.
  • Estimated opening dates for Niagara Falls , Casino Rama , and Caesars Windsor are best case scenarios only.

Sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country’s gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada. Summer months is able to sustain hospitality and tourism operators through the slower winter travel season. Cutting that period short even a little bit will significantly impact their likelihood of survival. Prior to doing so, it had operated along very similar lines to Elements, with strict limits on customer numbers, a reduced choice of games and strict hygiene measures in place. Woodbine has experience on its side now, and will be ready to reopen as soon as the rules in Toronto are relaxed.

Located near the famous Niagara Falls, the casino hosts thousands of guests every year by offering them a variety of entertainment. However, after the pandemic, almost all public places in the province were closed to visitors. Great Canadian Gaming was the first to release plans about reopening numerous properties. A few properties have been tentatively reopening with a strict guest capacity to test if the facilities can handle the foot traffic in the face of an evolving regulatory and epidemiological situation.

  • By this time, capacity at social events, including casinos, is expected to increase to 25 people for indoor activities and 100 people for outdoors.
  • Even though both venues work at 50-percent capacity, people were eager to share their opinion about the organization in place.
  • The first phase of the reopening schedule is to kick off on January 31.
  • “Canadians should be travelling in our own country right now and they should be discovering all the wonderful things, and we look forward to welcoming them.”

Brantford is a city best known as the birthplace of Wayne Gretzky, but it is also home to Elements Casino. A key step towards reopening has been a full and very public audit of both facilities to ensure they meet the requirements of the Ontario Gaming Industry Health and Safety Guidelines. Let’s check how Ontario’s casinos are progressing on the road to reopening, and what we can expect to see when the doors are flung wide. Yolina has followed closely the latest development on the Canadian gaming scene over the past years, monitoring the land-based, lottery, and online offerings up for grabs. The dynamic nature of the local lottery and casino fields, as well as the opportunities lying ahead of Canada fire her enthusiasm for what is to come.

If you’re attending games at the casinos, you may have to take caution. Of the 114 casinos in Canada, Ontario alone is home to 70, making it the province with the largest online gambling and casino presence. Some of the leading operators include Woodbine Casino, Caesars Windsor,Fallsview Casino, and Casino Rama. Under the Ontario government’s plan to safely and cautiously reopen the province and gradually lift public health measures during the pandemic, casinos and bingo halls could open as early as July 26 as part of Phase 3. While the casino used its time off to add about 1,670 square metres of gaming space, including about 650 new slot machines, there will initially be a “significant” decrease in gaming options when it reopens Friday.

Jon Knezevici was among those who decided to take advantage of indoor restaurant dining that resumed Friday. He said he’d been eager to take his girlfriend out for a nice meal, with a bottle of wine and a booth to themselves. Samuel said she and her family used to come to Niagara Falls for a summer trip every year but had to cancel that tradition last year due to the pandemic. She said she was particularly looking forward to dining in the area’s restaurants. “It is not just a priority for our sector, but a dire situation for Canadian border cities that a plan be put in place, that relies on science, to open the border, safely, now,” continued Mayor Diodati. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.