After close to 16 months with the door closed, the owner of Chances Casino is not willing to roll the dice with an outbreak.
If you're thinking of heading to Chances Casino for its July 1 reopening, don't toss out your masks just yet.
"We are not looking to upset the apple cart per se," said owner Stan Walt.
For the time being, the 40,000 square foot casino like others around the province is sticking with the masks.
"I know mask regulations are changing in the province, but we will open with a mask for guests and patrons and staff to be mask-on."
The affable owner of Chances knows some customers won't like the policy, but there's just too much at stake for his business.
"After 16 months of closure we will open on the cautious side," explained Walt.
The facility, which had a pre-COVID capacity of 1100 people, has been cleared to host 34 guests at any one time, and the slot machines are now all spaced at least 2 metres apart.
"We've reconfigured everything and I believe that the players when they come in will be very comfortable here," said Walt.
"They'll be pleasantly surprised with the amount of space."
What you won't find is Bingo which remains suspended, for now.
"Bingo is one thing that has been set on the sidelines for now because of our inability to draw large crowds to make that game work," explained Walt.
The full menu at Chips will be available for customers and there are plans to introduce table games like blackjack and roulette eventually.
And if you happen to see Stan Walt, you'll probably see him smiling.
"I'm just happy to be open," he said.
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