“Casinos are last on my list to re-open,” : Provincial Health Officer

Anyone wanting to try their luck again at the Treasure Cove Casino in Prince George will have to continue to wait.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said casinos are last on her list when it comes to re-opening.

She cites the majority of patrons are older with underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable to disease.

BC Lottery Corporation Spokesperson, Lara Gerrits said all gaming facilities in the province will undergo some changes once it’s safe to re-open.

“There will be some changes that will be made to gambling equipment to make sure that the player density within a casino is reduced there will be additional sanitation inside the facility and other measures that we will be working on with our casino service providers.”

Gerrits admits while the senior population does make up a healthy portion of their clientele they’re, not the only ones that are playing.

“We have young people and older people and we do agree with doctor Henry’s commitment to the health and well being of our players and of our communities and we’re going to continue with her directions and guidance.”

She adds the gaming sector remains an important one for the province, despite the shutdown.

“The gambling industry is an important economic contributor for sure to BC. There are 37-thousand indirect jobs through gambling created in BC and over 10-thousand direct jobs.”

During the closure, BCLC has noticed a spike in online gambling through its Playnow.com website.

“Some of our players are moving on to our Playnow.com website to play some of the casino games that are available, additionally as people are following the directions of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and staying home a lot of our players are also purchasing their lottery tickets on our that website.”

BCLC ordered a shutdown of all casinos in mid-March following a directive by Henry and Attorney General David Eby.

Facilities will re-open once it is safe and appropriate to do so.