Casinos to remain closed despite Windsor’s reopening

Caesars Windsor will reopen to a maximum of 50 invited guests

Caesars Windsor casino will be opening to invited guests starting Oct. 8, but Niagara Falls’ two casinos will not follow suit.

Instead, the 95,000-squarefoot Casino Niagara and 200,000-square-foot Niagara Fallsview Casino will remain closed to the public as it navigates the “public health restrictions of a 50-person limit,” says Niagara Casinos president Richard Taylor.

Though the casinos have been legally allowed to open since Ontario entered Stage 3 of its pandemic recovery in July, it can only admit 50 people at a time into each venue. The province has also ordered table games shut down.

Taylor says the casinos continue to evaluate “if we can support the reopening of our business in this limited way.”

Caesars Windsor, however, will no longer wait.

The casino says it will invite “select Caesars Rewards members” by email, who must make reservations to attend. Only slot machines will be available, and players will be allowed to reserve two sessions each day between 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Table games, bars, restaurants and the casino’s hotel will remain closed.

The facility can accommodate about 10,000 people. Like Niagara’s two casinos, it has implemented several safety protocols, with all employees and guests required to wear protective masks. All employees are also required to take temperature checks before their shift.

Like Windsor, Niagara’s two casinos closed to the public March 16 as the pandemic forced Ontario into lockdown, affecting more than 4,000 fulltime and part-time workers.

It was just the second prolonged closure for Casino Niagara since it opened in 1996 — in 2003, it shut down for six days to help conserve energy during a massive blackout.

Niagara Fallsview Casino has never shut down since it opened in 2004 until COVID-19 hit.

Taylor says the majority of employees were placed on “Infectious Disease Emergency Leave” in March, allowing them to access benefits from the federal government. He would not comment on how many employees have been laid off since the closure.

“Our commitment remains to reopen our properties and to return our associates to work as soon as we are able to do so safely and responsibly.”

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati feels it’s crucial to open the city’s two casinos soon, calling the 50-person capacity “ridiculous.”

“Department stores and restaurants have much higher capacities,” he says. “COVID-19 protocols in place at Fallsview are very stringent and guided by an epidemiologist. Perhaps it’s time to show (Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams) we can open in a safe way.

“As the No 1 employer in the region, we need to get these people back to work. Their financial health is deteriorating.”