Loto-Québec closes venues after spike in Covid-19 cases

Two land-based sites will be temporarily closed from today, and network bingo, Kinzo and VLTs will shut down in three areas.

US.- Gambling operator Loto-Québec has announced it will be closing two of its land-based venues from midnight on October 1 until October 28 due to a spike in coronavirus cases.

The two venues which will close their doors are Casino de Montréal and the Salon de jeux de Québec.

Network bingo, Kinzo, and video lottery machines (VLTs) in the metropolitan zones of Montreal, Quebec City, and the Chaudière-Appalaches region will be inoperative for the same period. Lottery ticket sales will continue.

Kinzo and VLTs are able to stay in operation in other areas, and network bingo is permitted to run during evening hours.

The government in Quebec first implemented widespread closures of gambling facilities in March at the height of the pandemic. Retail betting facilities were given the green light to reopen in May, but some have remained closed.

Loto-Québec’s revenue for the fiscal year 2019-2020 managed to exceed company targets but still represented a 3.1 per cent year-on-year decrease. Casinos contributed the most revenue.