British Columbia Casinos Prepare for Reopening on July 1

British Columbia is set to enter the third step of its coronavirus reopening plan on July 1.

The provincial government has not announced that casinos will reopen. River Rock Casino, British Columbia’s largest casino operated by Great Canadian Casinos, confirmed the reopening date earlier this month. The regulations include mandatory spacing between slot machines and plexiglass barriers between card tables and casino cages. Staff must undergo training regarding health and safety protocols.

British Columbia's casinos were forced to close in March 2020 due to pandemic. They will finally reopen this week. GCC has already called back hundreds of furloughed employees. The company's revenue plummeted in Q1 this year with its casinos closed. The firm reported revenue of $52.3m during the quarter, a drop of 81% year-on-year.

Canada's provinces are gradually reopening casinos. Around 59% of the nation's casinos are open. The majority of them still have capacity restrictions. Loto-Quebec relaunched operations at its bingo and kino halls on June 14 and followed this with a number of its casinos restarting on May 21. Casino de Montreal expects to reopen on 30 June. Alberta entered phase two of 'Open for Summer Plan' in early June and expects stage three on July 1.