Great News For Canadian Casinos

Article by : Helen Jul 27, 2020

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More recently, it became known about the upcoming plans of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to give some gambling houses and charity centers permission to reopen. According to the national regulator, starting with the third stage of the plan for a gradual economic recovery, gambling establishments will have the opportunity to open their doors from July 17.

Such a move is one of the leading indicators that Ontario is returning to a normal life step by step after a very long period of the coronavirus pandemic. It is worth noting that the gambling establishments underwent a four-month break and a series of severe restrictions starting from March 16. These unexpected measures had a very detrimental effect on almost all businesses, without exaggeration. Nevertheless, before reopening starts, all operators need to meet some specific requirements:

• Land-based casinos will be limited to 50 visitors.
• Gambling houses will also have to extend the ban on board games.

Besides, it should be understood that the resumption of work is not a good signal for all operators. The great news mainly concerned the most popular and large-scale casinos. Also, OLG informed that casinos that meet all the necessary requirements and charity gambling centers were mainly selected based on territorial location, as well as the level of risk associated with possible infections of Covid-19. An equally important point to keep in mind is that operators will be required to provide personal security plans. This is a mandatory step to minimize the risk of infection and keep all visitors safe.

Each of the plans presented will be necessarily reviewed by a dedicated expert and additionally verified by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The obligatory provision of protective masks for all visitors and employees of gambling houses is a basic rule that has affected absolutely all market participants. Moreover, OLG representatives drew special attention to the fact that currently, the health and safety of customers and casino employees should be a priority for all gaming communities planning to restart their business.

It is worth noting that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming is the primary regulator of casinos in Ontario and operates lotteries in Canada. The total number of tax collections that this department sends to the budget is about $1.5 – 2 billion. Of course, this figure may differ from year to year. However, often the indicators of tax deductions amounted to much more than $2.5 billion. However, the record amounts of taxes that the agency sent to the country’s budget are far from accidental.

With the development of the market, the Canadian government turned to OLG to help fight against the state budget deficit.

As it turned out, the regulator adequately coped with the task from year to year. However, 2020 is likely to be an exception. Many successful casinos that brought in billions of dollars in revenue won’t be able to recover from the pandemic’s sudden crisis. In any case, despite all the government measures, many operators will not be able to open their doors even after very liberal steps from OLG.

Actually, this country is known for its tolerant attitude towards many bread-and-butter issues, including gambling. Meanwhile, gambling has been legalized in Canada since 1999. Around this period, the state issued legislation and created special provincial gambling commissions.

The most famous and largest establishments are:

• Casino Niagara and
• Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort.

They are located next to the same Niagara Falls in Ontario. The casinos offer their guests thousands of slot machines and hundreds of tables with card games.

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