Feeling lucky? Gaming centres and bingo halls get ready to reopen under new rules
Gaming centres and bingo halls are allowed to open their doors in Step 3 of the province’s Roadmap to Reopening, which has local operators scrambling to put the final touches in place.
President of Community Gaming and Entertainment Tony Rosa says they are will be ready to welcome back patrons at 50 per cent capacity on Friday.
“We’ve got all hands on deck, we’ve been cleaning, organizing, resetting all of our equipment,” says Rosa.
Rosa says when they found out Step 3 would take place five days earlier than expected, his staff went went into overdrive with preparations to ensure all of the COVID-19 protocols are in place.
The company operates four charitable facilities in Windsor and Tecumseh – Breakaway Gaming Centre, Paradise Gaming Centre, Allstar Gaming Centre and Power Play Gaming Centre.
Rosa says they are taking a phased in approach.
Breakaway Gaming Centre
“We’re going to start first with our tap tix rooms and get them going and then look at session based bingo as time goes on,” says Rosa.
He says their indoor bingo games will likely be back in a few weeks.
Other bingo halls, like Riverview Gaming in Chatham are offering indoor bingo Friday after a 16-month hiatus.
“We’re excited to be welcoming some bingo players back into our building on Friday,” says owner Carla Fox. “We’re still kinda working out the logistics with the social distancing and the number of people.”
Community Gaming and Entertainment and Riverview offered modified bingo options for patrons, but have not offered indoor bingo since March, 2020.
Both Rosa and Fox are hopeful they can now be open for good.
“I think it’s nothing but good things to come,” says Rosa. “I think the next step will be a full opening.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE UPDATES Taylor Swift hits the stage at Rogers Centre for first night of Eras Tour in Toronto
Taylor Swift takes the stage at the Rogers Centre as 'The Eras Tour' has arrived.
Purolator workers won't handle Canada Post packages if strike occurs, union says
Teamsters Canada says if Canada Post workers go on strike or are locked out, its members at Purolator won't handle any packages postmarked or identified as originating from the carrier.
Trump chooses anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
Canada urged to cut government-funded research collaborations with China: report
A newly released report is urging Canada to immediately end all government-funded research collaborations with China in a variety of different areas.
Police foil attempted $13,000 cheese theft in North Vancouver
Police in North Vancouver say they prevented the theft of nearly $13,000 worth of cheese from a grocery store earlier this year. Now, they're asking the public for help finding the alleged thief.
Centre Block renovation facing timeline and budget 'pressures'
The multi-billion-dollar renovation of parliament’s Centre Block building continues to be on time and on budget, but construction crews are facing 'pressures' when it comes to the deadline and total costs, according to the department in charge of the project.
Winnipeg driver rescues passengers from burning van
A Winnipeg driver was in the right place at the right time when a paratransit van caught fire Thursday morning.
B.C.'s chief vet tells clinics to set up bird flu protocols amid human exposure risk
British Columbia's chief veterinarian has told clinics that treat wild birds that they must establish protocols to prevent the spread of avian flu, warning of the risk of human exposure to the illness.
Measles cases in New Brunswick continue to climb
The number of measles cases in New Brunswick continue to climb. Officials with New Brunswick’s Department of Health said as of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases since October has reached 43.