Elements Casino Grand River announces reopening for step three

Elements Casino Grand River in Elora will soon be reopening after a year with multiple shutdowns.

Parent company Great Canadian Gaming Corp. (GCGC) announced its Ontario properties will be reopening Friday to coincide with the province moving to step three of the government's re-opening plan. 

“I’m very excited that the province has reached this milestone, and that Great Canadian is in a position to have thousands of team members return to work,” GCGC interim-CEO Terrance Doyle said in a press release.

Chuck Keeling, executive vice-president for GCGC, said via email the capacity at Elements Casino Grand River will be limited to the number of guests that can maintain at least two metres distance from others but this can not exceed more than 50 per cent of total capacity. 

Unlike the previous reopening, pre-registering your visit will not be required. 

“We will have approximately 250 slots open 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. at this time,” Keeling said, adding there will be a small offering of grab-and-go food from noon to 8 p.m. as well. 

“Guests can expect to see provisions like reduced capacity, plexiglass barriers in certain areas and other protocols introduced to protect the health and safety of guests and our team members to in turn ensure they have a positive experience returning to the property.”

Keeling said this phase of reopening will mean around 90 of the casino’s employees will be returning to work.

“I want to thank our entire team for their resilience and patience the last 17 months and I look forward to working with our team and welcoming our guests back to our Ontario properties,” Doyle said in the release. 

“As we move into the current stage of the provincial plan to reopen the economy, I’m eager to continue working with key stakeholders on the next phase of reopening when it is deemed safe to do so.”

This also impacts the Township of Centre Wellington which receives quarterly payments from OLG based on revenue for hosting a casino in the municipality. The township uses a majority of the funding for capital projects in the following year and does not commit them before the amount is known. 

A preliminary 2021 budget report estimates this year's revenue will total $550,000, which is nearly $300,000 less than 2020's total. Last year's total was also significantly less than usual with a drop of nearly $2 million in revenue because of COVID shutdowns.