1. Those who have been trespassed and/or self-excluded from Playtime Casino Hanover or any Ontario gaming property may not visit, participate in promotions and/or redeem offers. Offers do not apply to employees of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment.
2. Gateway Casino and Entertainment's 'ground-breaking' for its Wasaga Beach facility will take place in 2020, with a scheduled opening for 2021.

1. Gateway Casino Barrie Ontario Waterfront
2. Gateway Casino Barrie Ontario Canada
3. Gateway Casino Barrie Ontario Quebec

A Gateway representative tells Barrie 360 the majority of the layoffs will affect Casino Rama, the rest at its Georgian Downs location in Innisfil. After detailed analysis of the central gaming market and current operations, Gateway has made the difficult decision to reduce staff levels at its two gaming site locations in central Ontario.

The proposed purchase of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation — which owns Georgian Downs on Highway 400, south of Barrie — by an American equity company led to some confusion over the status of the casino slots in Innisfil.

However, Gateway Casino Innisfil, which is part of a separate company that leases space inside the 5 Sideroad facility, is not expected to be impacted by the pending deal, which could be ratified in December.

“We’re not affected,” said Gateway spokesman Robert Mitchell.

With the proposed purchase of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation by Apollo Global Management for a reported $3.3 billion (Cdn.), Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) officials see the move as positive.

'The proposed acquisition is expected to support significant investment and profitable growth of gaming operations at Great Canadian casinos in Ontario,' said OLG president and CEO Duncan Hannay. 'This benefits OLG, the province, and the communities that host 11 casinos operated by Great Canadian in Ontario.'

The purchase of Great Canadian Gaming by Apollo Global Management still has to be ratified by shareholders.

Under normal circumstances, prior to the pandemic, the Town of Innisfil received quarterly payments of between $1 million and $2 million from OLG for hosting the slot machines at Georgian Downs. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the town received more than $6.2 million, bringing the total to close to $90 million in non-tax gaming revenue since November 2001.

'I don’t believe the sale will have an impact, but the ongoing pandemic and the limited capacity in the facility continues to impact the revenues the town receives from OLG,' said Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin.

In late-April, OLG's quarterly payment to the town was $972,983.

The province's commercial interests in casinos continue to be managed by OLG and protected by contractual agreements.

'These contracts remain in place and are unaffected by the proposed acquisition,' OLG said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in 2018, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment signed a 23-year agreement with OLG to take over the leases and day-to-day operations at several facilities, including at Georgian Downs and Casino Rama.

After being shut down due to COVID-19, Gateway reopened the doors at its Innisfil operation Oct. 10, as part of the province’s Stage 3 recovery.

'The response from our customers has been uniformly positive,' Mitchell said.

However, Mitchell says it remains to be seen how the Innisfil casino operation will rebound from the pandemic.

“Evaluating the success of reopening is problematic, with a 50-person hard cap on visitation,' he said.

Gateway Casino Innisfil’s 26 table games remain closed, although the casino has introduced electronic table games for baccarat, roulette and poker players. The spacious casino facility at Georgian Downs has more than 1,000 slot machines and, under normal conditions, is licensed for 3,342 people.

OLG has supported the safe reopening of casinos, where the rules allow it.

'To reopen or remain open, casino service providers must comply with current provincial and municipal health guidelines and continue to work with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO),' as well as local public health units, said OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti.

Bitonti acknowledged that as a result of the current 50-person cap on attendance, 'revenue generated at the present time is significantly less than pre-COVID levels.'

Starting Oct. 15, Gateway Casino Innisfil made the decision to remain open around the clock, with mask-wearing and COVID-19 protocols in place, including frequent cleaning and sanitation, and steps to maintain two-metre physical distancing.

Those steps include floor decals and stanchions, and keeping some slot machines “out-of-play,” although all of the machines are illuminated to help create a more typical casino atmosphere and experience for patrons — at present, limited to My Club Reward members, who make a reservation to play.

And despite the challenging circumstances, Mitchell said “people are enjoying it.'

“They are commenting on the cleanliness of our location,” Mitchell said, and complimenting staff on their efforts to create a safe environment. “People are very, very respectful. We’ve had no issues in terms of our patrons abiding by the protocols.

Gateway Casino Barrie Ontario Waterfront

'It’s good to see this level of respect and co-operation,' he added.

Slot machines at Georgian Downs will be brought back to life this weekend.

Gateway Casinos is reopening almost all of its casinos in the province with limited hours – 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. – no table games, just the slots and only 50 people allowed in at a time. Due to the 50-customer capacity restrictions, properties will be open to invited My Club Rewards members only. Guests will be able to book their playtime online, check-in upon arrival and safely wait in their vehicles until the casino is ready for their entry.

“We are excited to be able to re-open our Ontario properties and welcome back some of our team members and customers. The health and well-being of our employees and guests is our top priority,” said Tony Santo, CEO at Gateway Casinos. “We look forward to fully re-opening and welcoming more of our guests back in the future as capacities are increased and restrictions are lifted.”

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Maintaining a clean environment, says Gateway, is a year-round priority. It is regular practice to clean all hard surfaces, such as door handles and tables. Under the current environment, Gateway is being hyper-vigilant with its cleaning protocols to prevent the spread of transmittable illnesses, including COVID-19.

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Casino Rama Resort will remain closed for the time being. Given the 50-person capacity restrictions, Gateway says it is not feasible to reopen a resort of its size.