Box office reopens at Casino Rama's entertainment centre

Orillia, Ont. -

Casino Rama is on track to resume concerts at its entertainment centre after nearly 22 months with an empty stage.

"The lineup is fabulous. It also means a lot to the team here. [We are] bringing back an additional 200 employees," said Glenn Trickey, vice president of operations, Casino Rama.

The casino staffing levels will be closer to 1,000 once the concerts resume. Before the pandemic, it had roughly 1,700.

Canadian comedian Russell Peters will kick off the first set of shows in January.

Crews have been working on everything from lighting to sound to seating for almost two months.

The venue has strict COVID-19 protocols in place.

Anyone attending a concert or the games floor is required to show proof of vaccination.

Non-vaccinated staff are tested once a week on-site.

Masks will be required at all times unless seated at a table eating or drinking.

Meanwhile, Trickey said bringing back concerts is about more than entertaining the public.

"It brings a large volume to the property, which then fills the hotel, the restaurants. It creates an atmosphere of excitement for the customers that are on-site and something we've been looking forward to,," he added.

Rob Mitchell, director of communications for Gateway Casinos, said they would be operating at full capacity.

"We will respect previously purchased tickets. We will honour those tickets. There is pent-up demand on both sides of the ledger. I mean, the audiences want to come out. They want to see live entertainment, and the bands want to get on the road," he said.

Tickets for the Russell Peters show and other upcoming performances are now on sale.