After nearly 16 months, Chances Casino in Kelowna is more than ready to reopen its doors.
“We know that we have many enthusiastic guests who like to come back. I can tell you that there are 150 employees who are overly excited to get back to work, ”said Stan Walt, the owner of Chances Casino.
The casino has been closed since March 16, 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm. However, casinos across the province are reopening as part of the third phase of BC’s restart plan, which goes live on Thursday July 1st.
Just one more day before the doors open again, Walt described the moment as surreal.
“I really haven’t had the chance to think about the transition and what it will look like,” he said. “But personally, I’m very happy to be standing in front of the door in the morning to greet the first guests and see many faces that we haven’t seen for a long time.”
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The casino will return to its regular opening hours on Thursday: Sunday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
During the closure, the casino was busy remodeling its facilities, to the point that Walt said guests wouldn’t recognize it.
“It’s a completely different environment,” he said.
Parking lots have been repaved, floors have been raised, the interior has been redesigned, aisles have been widened and playground equipment has been separated for reasons of physical distance.
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Face masks will still be needed and PPE will be found scattered throughout the facility. The casino operates with a capacity of 340 guests.
“I think our focus now will be on a continuous transition, the next 60 days or so through September,” said Walt.
He described the staff as excited and delighted to get back together.
“We did a sham opening this morning with about 50 people coming in and going through the process. The energy and excitement from them was just very touching. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, ”he said.
The exciting thing for him is to see how the guests react to the changes in the interior.
“Although we got very used to it over the last year, the players walking through the door will have a wow factor that says, ‘This is different.’ I know that you will be very satisfied with what you see. “
@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
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