Casino Rama In Ontario
Casino Rama is making plans to reopen.
But it will be open by invitation only, there will be no table games available and no food or beverage service.
Casinos are still not yet open to the public in Ontario despite being one of the businesses permitted to resume operations in the 24 regions entering Stage 3 today. The province released a new. Rama First Nation Chief Ted Williams made the announcement today. “We have been working with Gateway Casino officials and Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) for several months to explore options for the safe opening of Casino Rama,” said Williams. Casino Rama and all provincial casinos were closed by the OLG in mid-March.
Rama First Nation Chief Ted Williams made the announcement today.
“We have been working with Gateway Casino officials and Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) for several months to explore options for the safe opening of Casino Rama,” said Williams.
Casino Rama and all provincial casinos were closed by the OLG in mid-March. While most other casinos have already re-opened, the massive gaming facility east of Orillia remained closed. Officials had said that, due to the size of the casino, it didn't make sense to re-open when only 50 people could be inside the building.
Today, Williams announced all parties “agreed on opening ... after consultation with the Rama COVID-19 Task Force, based on their overall satisfaction with safety plans.”
Williams and members of the First Nations council recently visited Georgian Downs, which is also operated by Gateway. That facility has been open, on a limited basis with extensive COVID protocols, for several weeks.
“We went to see the effect of the business with the proper protocols in place,” said Williams.
He said the Innisfil facility is adhering to public health guidelines by limiting the number of patrons to 50, mandating masks for patrons and staff at all times, signage that promotes safe practices and hand sanitizing stations.
He also noted “staff (are) ready to enforce protocols as is needed.”
Williams stressed there have been no COVID cases related to the casino in Innisfil.
“This week, (chief and council) toured Casino Rama with the COVID Task Force to talk about what we needed to see in our community,” said Williams.
During a video address to the community, Williams read some of the comments from unnamed task force members.
“I would be satisfied and comfortable with suggesting that reopening would be best for the community and the employees working for Casino Rama,” one member said.
Another said: “We were also glad to know there will be no food and beverage services as this eliminates additional risk.”
Casino Rama In Ontario
Another said “the system implemented for contact tracing with registration, facial recognition and video surveillance is better than some others in place.”
Williams said “it will take seven to 10 days to restore operations.” He said “our first priority is our community safety.”
Robert Mitchell, a spokesperson for Gateway, said there are still 'a number of steps' Gateway must go through before a re-opening date can be determined.
'When those details are established, including a confirmed opening date, a formal re-opening announcement will be issued by Gateway,' said Mitchell.
He thanked Rama First Nation for the 'ongoing dialogue,' saying they 'appreciate their care and dedication in reviewing our Health and Safety Plan' meant to ensure the safety of the community, employees and guests.
'We are happy that they have reviewed Gateway's health and safety protocols for re-opening under the current government criteria and given their endorsement for Gateway to re-open Rama under those restrictions, which include a customer capacity of 50 patrons, no live table games and the mandatory use of face masks,' said Mitchell.
Unifor Local 1090 president Corey Dalton did not respond to a request for a comment in time for this story.
However, Orillia’s Tshweu Moleme, a Unifor representative at the casino, said he’s “encouraged” by the news.
“Of course, one can only be cautiously optimistic at this time, given the rising numbers with COVID-19 and the province’s tightening of some restrictions, but I do commend the work that Rama Chief and Council are doing, working with the company, and the union, to make sure that workers can return to work and the business can restart safely,” said Moleme.
Casino Rama In Ontario Canada
“This is an important business and employer in our economic region and when it is down, the community feels it,” he said.
“As noted in an OrilliaMatters article, yesterday, even area charities are struggling without the Casino and its good-hearted employees.”
It’s not clear how many employees might return to work under the new protocols.
This story will be updated when more information becomes available
| Casino Rama | |
|---|---|
| Location | 5899 Rama Rd Rama, Ontario, Canada |
| Opening date | July 31, 1996 |
| No. of rooms | 289 |
| Total gaming space | 192,000 sq ft (17,800 m2) |
| Notable restaurants | St. Germain's Steakhouse, Couchiching Court Buffet, Willow (authentic Cantonese), Simcoe Yard House, Dream Catcher Sports Bar, The Noodle Bar, The Weirs, Cedar and Firestarter Lounge |
| Owner | Chippewas of Rama First Nation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation |
| Operating license holder | Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited |
| Website | Official Casino Rama Site |
Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with operation of the casino contracted to Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited.
Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations 'commercial casino' (as opposed to a lesser class, charity casino) and the largest First Nations casino in Canada. The casino also includes restaurants, a hotel and spa, and an entertainment complex which regularly hosts ticketed shows (for an additional charge).
History[edit]
The casino opened on July 31, 1996.
In 2007, a group of people, including several of the casino's employees, were arrested after police investigated a $2 million scam involving cheating at baccarat.[1]
In 2013, Casino Rama underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.[2]
In November, 2016, the resort was the victim of a cyber attack, and financial and personal information about customers was stolen from the company's records.[3]
Casino Rama has remained closed since March 16, 2020 due to COVID-19 regulations. There has been no announced reopening date.[4]
Description[edit]
The resort consists of a 289-room hotel, a Casino with a 192,000 sq ft (17,800 m2) floor, a 5,000-seat Entertainment Centre, and ten restaurants. The casino has 2500 slot machines and 110 table games.[3]
Concerts[edit]
Casino Rama Orillia Ontario Canada
The 5,036-seat Entertainment Centre has hosted a variety of stars including Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, Christina Aguilera, Journey, Air Supply, Alice Cooper, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Kelly Clarkson, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Eric Burdon, The Searchers, Faith Hill, David Cook, Celtic Thunder taped two shows here, Deep Purple, Gloria Estefan, Men at Work, Jay Leno, Jewel, Carrie Underwood, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Vince Gill, Tony Bennett, Bill Cosby, Styx, Michael Bolton, Ringo Starr, Neil Sedaka, Jeff Foxworthy, LeAnn Rimes, Alicia Keys - 2005, Art Garfunkel, Clint Black, David Copperfield, Petula Clark, Roger Hodgson, ZZ Top, Bad Company, Dolly Parton, The Guess Who, George Thorogood, Heart, Steve Miller, Tom Jones, New Kids on the Block, Smokey Robinson, Stone Temple Pilots, CCR, Hall & Oates, Lionel Richie, Weezer, Terra Naomi, Whitesnake and KISS. Judas Priest, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Brad Paisley, John Legend, Rick Springfield, Kelly Pickler, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Doc Walker, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Huey Lewis & The News, Wayne Brady, Larry The Cable Guy, Tim Allen, Joe Nichols, Wynonna and the Big Noise.
Hong Kong Cantopop stars and television personalities have held concerts at Rama as part of a Toronto tour:[5]
- Vivian Chow, 2013
- Elisa Chan & Maria Cordero, 2013
- Sandy Lam, 2013
- Raymond Lam, 2012
- Joey Yung, 2012
- Twins, 2011
Boxing and MMA[edit]
Casino Rama Open In Ontario
Casino Rama has hosted a number of live boxing events, titled Rumble at Rama. On April 2, 2011, Casino Rama hosted what was promoted as the first sanctioned mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Ontario, taking place 4 weeks before UFC 129 in Toronto.[6][7] This was not entirely correct, as an MMA event was held in the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation 3 years prior, where Dan Severn defeated Ian Asham in the main event; 7 MMA events were staged before the event at Casino Rama.[8]In July 2011, it hosted a Bellator Fighting Championships event.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Casino Rama scam busted'. Toronto Star, Paul Moloney, May 25, 2007
- ^'Changes abound at Casino Rama'. Orillia Packet, By Gisele Winton Sarvis, November 28, 2013
- ^ ab'Massive theft of Ontario’s Casino Rama data sparks proposed lawsuit'. Toronto Star, November 12, 2016. Colin Perkel
- ^'Casino Rama to remain closed amid 2nd coronavirus wave'. Global News. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- ^[1]Archived March 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^'Ontario's First Sanctioned MMA Event Set for Saturday'. MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^'Sellout at Ontario's first sanctioned MMA show'. Tsn.ca. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^'Iroquois MMA Championships Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more'. Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
Casino Rama Address Ontario
External links[edit]
Casino Rama Locations In Ontario
Coordinates: 44°38′50″N79°21′1″W / 44.64722°N 79.35028°W