Ontario to End Full Lockdown, Reopen Casinos on January 31
The province is going to lift the restrictions on casinos. The 28 OLG gaming venues will be operating at half capacity at the end of the month.
Ontario's casinos will re-open on January 31. The pandemic has had an impact on the gambling industry. Niagara Falls mayor estimates that the casino closures have cost the city close to $20 million. There are no up-to-date data on how many people are employed in the casinos. Ontario is experimenting with opening indoor facilities without any limitation on occupancy.
Report commissioned by the biggest operator in Ontario, Great Canadian Gaming, claims that introduction of online gambling will result in losses to the tune of $2.5 billion for existing operators. Sports organizations have also been impacted. Canada is home to 114 casinos and 183,000 people are employed in the industry. Great Canada Gaming wants local operators to take control of legal online betting.