Although they haven’t gotten the official word yet, casinos and bingo hall operators in Alberta, Canada, are preparing to be allowed to operate again if the government announces the next stage of reopening from the pandemic.
They are hopeful patrons will return in sufficient numbers that gaming revenues will rebound. But with caveats.
The Alberta government anticipates pent up demand will push gaming revenues up from the slough of $527 million in 2020 to as much as $1.25 billion or more for a fiscal year that begins April 1. With a return to normal, it expects $1.5 billion by 2024.
Brenda Pope, who manages Castledowns Bingo Hall in Edmonton, said they still must enforce strict safety protocols even if most people in the province are immunized. Such as temperature checks, constant sanitizing and masks and physical barriers.
Area casinos have spent an estimated $10 million in safety protocols so they can reopen.
Pope told the Edmonton Journal: “We want to make sure we’re still being cautious. So the new normal is going to be much different than the old normal.”
Casinos, along with racetracks and bingo halls, who were supposed reopen in early March, but will instead be part of Step 3 near the end of the month.
Some are raring to go, such as River Cree Resort and Casino, whose CEO Vik Mahajan declared confidently, “We can open at a moment’s notice.
Because it’s been a while since they were open, Bingo Alberta is holding virtual training refreshers to make sure staff remembers the correct procedures.
Some managers fear that customers may be hesitant to return even once the facilities reopen. John Szumlas, head of Bingo Alberta says the way to combat that is to strictly follow safety guidelines.
One casino operator figures that his video lottery terminals were shut off for 160 days and his tables were covered for more than 200 days.
People in Alberta did find alternatives to brick and mortar casinos when they were closed. In 2020 Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis unveiled an online gaming site and bingo halls brought video bingo to peoples’ homes, which generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.
