A gaming corporation has announced the temporary closures of its casinos across the Lower Mainland and elsewhere in British Columbia.

The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, in conjunction with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, announced today (March 15) that it will temporarily suspend all operations in both B.C. and Ontario as of 11:59 p.m. tonight.

The company stated that while there haven’t been any reports of COVID-19 at its facilities, they are shutting down for the time being to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

The company operates 10 casinos in B.C.

In Metro Vancouver, the company runs six locations, including the Hastings Racecourse and Casino in Vancouver, River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, the Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam, Elements in Surrey, Elements in Chilliwack, and Chances in Maple Ridge.

It also has locations in Victoria, Esquimalt, Nanaimo, and Dawson Creek.

However, the corporation did not provide a reopening date.

Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which operates 14 casinos in B.C., has not yet announced any closures.

The company stated on March 13 that it is closely monitoring the situation and that it is being “hyper-vigilant in providing a safe and clean environment for customers and employees”.

In Metro Vancouver, the company operates the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby, the Starlight Casino in New Westminster, and Cascades Casino in Langley.

Similarly, Parq Casino states on its website that it is also actively monitoring the situation and has boosted cleaning measures (including adding extra hand-sanitizing stations and increasing frequency of cleaning disinfecting surfaces, playing chips, and washrooms) but has not announced a closure yet.