Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations 'commercial casino' (as opposed to a lesser class, charity casino) and the largest First Nations casino in Canada.The casino also includes restaurants, a hotel and spa, and an entertainment complex which regularly hosts ticketed shows (for an additional charge). Some of the biggest live acts in the world have graced the stage at Casino Rama Resort – The Tragically Hip, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Derulo, Carrie Underwood and ZZ Top just to name a few. All events starting September 1st in the Casino Rama Resort Entertainment Centre are now open to anyone 12 years of age or older. Casino Rama Resort tickets and upcoming 2020 event schedule. Find details for Casino Rama Resort in Rama, ON, including venue info and seating charts. All the concerts from Casino Rama 04 Dec 2020 Celtic Thunder concert in Orillia. Casino Rama - Orillia.
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| Casino Rama | |
|---|---|
| Location | 5899 Rama Rd Rama, Ontario, Canada |
| Opening date | July 31, 1996 |
| No. of rooms | 289 |
| Total gaming space | 192,000 sq ft (17,800 m2) |
| Notable restaurants | St. Germain's Steakhouse, Couchiching Court Buffet, Willow (authentic Cantonese), Simcoe Yard House, Dream Catcher Sports Bar, The Noodle Bar, The Weirs, Cedar and Firestarter Lounge |
| Owner | Chippewas of Rama First Nation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation |
| Operating license holder | Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited |
| Website | Official Casino Rama Site |
Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with operation of the casino contracted to Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited.
Casino Rama is Ontario's only First Nations 'commercial casino' (as opposed to a lesser class, charity casino) and the largest First Nations casino in Canada. The casino also includes restaurants, a hotel and spa, and an entertainment complex which regularly hosts ticketed shows (for an additional charge).
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History[edit]
The casino opened on July 31, 1996.
In 2007, a group of people, including several of the casino's employees, were arrested after police investigated a $2 million scam involving cheating at baccarat.[1]
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In 2013, Casino Rama underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.[2]
In November, 2016, the resort was the victim of a cyber attack, and financial and personal information about customers was stolen from the company's records.[3]
Casino Rama has remained closed since March 16, 2020 due to COVID-19 regulations. There has been no announced reopening date.[4]
Description[edit]
The resort consists of a 289-room hotel, a Casino with a 192,000 sq ft (17,800 m2) floor, a 5,000-seat Entertainment Centre, and ten restaurants. The casino has 2500 slot machines and 110 table games.[3]
Concerts[edit]
The 5,036-seat Entertainment Centre has hosted a variety of stars including Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, Christina Aguilera, Journey, Air Supply, Alice Cooper, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Kelly Clarkson, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Eric Burdon, The Searchers, Faith Hill, David Cook, Celtic Thunder taped two shows here, Deep Purple, Gloria Estefan, Men at Work, Jay Leno, Jewel, Carrie Underwood, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Vince Gill, Tony Bennett, Bill Cosby, Styx, Michael Bolton, Ringo Starr, Neil Sedaka, Jeff Foxworthy, LeAnn Rimes, Alicia Keys - 2005, Art Garfunkel, Clint Black, David Copperfield, Petula Clark, Roger Hodgson, ZZ Top, Bad Company, Dolly Parton, The Guess Who, George Thorogood, Heart, Steve Miller, Tom Jones, New Kids on the Block, Smokey Robinson, Stone Temple Pilots, CCR, Hall & Oates, Lionel Richie, Weezer, Terra Naomi, Whitesnake and KISS. Judas Priest, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Brad Paisley, John Legend, Rick Springfield, Kelly Pickler, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Doc Walker, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Huey Lewis & The News, Wayne Brady, Larry The Cable Guy, Tim Allen, Joe Nichols, Wynonna and the Big Noise.
Hong Kong Cantopop stars and television personalities have held concerts at Rama as part of a Toronto tour:[5]
- Vivian Chow, 2013
- Elisa Chan & Maria Cordero, 2013
- Sandy Lam, 2013
- Raymond Lam, 2012
- Joey Yung, 2012
- Twins, 2011
Boxing and MMA[edit]
Casino Rama has hosted a number of live boxing events, titled Rumble at Rama. On April 2, 2011, Casino Rama hosted what was promoted as the first sanctioned mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Ontario, taking place 4 weeks before UFC 129 in Toronto.[6][7] This was not entirely correct, as an MMA event was held in the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation 3 years prior, where Dan Severn defeated Ian Asham in the main event; 7 MMA events were staged before the event at Casino Rama.[8]In July 2011, it hosted a Bellator Fighting Championships event.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Casino Rama scam busted'. Toronto Star, Paul Moloney, May 25, 2007
- ^'Changes abound at Casino Rama'. Orillia Packet, By Gisele Winton Sarvis, November 28, 2013
- ^ ab'Massive theft of Ontario’s Casino Rama data sparks proposed lawsuit'. Toronto Star, November 12, 2016. Colin Perkel
- ^'Casino Rama to remain closed amid 2nd coronavirus wave'. Global News. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- ^[1]Archived March 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^'Ontario's First Sanctioned MMA Event Set for Saturday'. MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^'Sellout at Ontario's first sanctioned MMA show'. Tsn.ca. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^'Iroquois MMA Championships Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more'. Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 44°38′50″N79°21′1″W / 44.64722°N 79.35028°W
While some casinos in Ontario are reopening this morning, the doors remain locked at Casino Rama.
However, the operator of the gambling facility east of Orillia received some good news recently.
On Friday, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment became the first Canadian employer to receive a loan from the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp. (CEEFC) under its Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF).
The agreement provides Gateway with access to $200 million of liquidity.
“These funds will provide us with capital to support restarting our operations and returning people back to work when it is safe and viable to do so,” Gateway CEO Tony Santo said in an email to employees.
He noted the pandemic “hit our employees and their families and communities hard” and said the company is “appreciative of the LEEFF program.”
He said the loan is a shot of good news amid months of dire news.
“Back in the spring, we believed that this shutdown would be for a few weeks,” said Santo of the government shutdown of casinos on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“However, we have now seen that the closure has lasted far longer and there is continued uncertainty about how long the shutdowns will stretch.”
That uncertainty has been taxing for employees, says Corey Dalton, president of Unifor Local 1090, which represents employees at Casino Rama and Gateway Casino in Innisfil.
“After being off of work for more than six months, all of our casino members are struggling financially at this point,” Dalton told OrilliaMatters.
Unifor Local 1090 and Gateway recently negotiated an agreement that extended health benefits for unionized employees until the end of September, he said.
The new LEEFF funding prompted Gateway to extend benefits for all members until Oct. 31, at which point they will review benefits again.
“We are extremely grateful and applaud Gateway for this decision,” said Dalton.
Another key component of the agreement included the opportunity for members to enrol in a 'paid inactive leave' program that would provide members with ongoing financial support through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program.
“The paid inactive leave program has been very beneficial for a large amount of our members,” said Dalton. “Unfortunately, this program was scheduled to expire on Sept. 26. Late last week, the federal government indicated that they would be extending CEWS into 2021. We now anxiously await important details from the federal government on the extension and any limitations the program may have.”
Dalton said employees are eager to get back to work. An August poll of members concluded 70% of unionized Casino Rama employees were 'comfortable to return to work if safety precautions are implemented.'
Dalton said provincial regulations handcuff casino operations.
“The Ontario government has placed extensive restrictions on casinos,” he said, noting table games are currently prohibited from reopening and all casinos are limited to a maximum of 50 guests.
“Both the Union and the employer have asked the Ontario government to review this cap,” said Dalton.
“Local 1090 maintains a strong belief that the guest-limit needs to be proportionate to the physical size of each casino. Casino Rama has one of the largest gaming floors in Ontario in terms of square footage - there is an ability for Gateway to provide safe, physical distancing for a larger number of patrons than other facilities which can be 20% (or even less) of the square footage,” Dalton explained.
Santo agreed, saying the “50-customer capacity limit ... makes reopening very challenging.”
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Santo said they “have developed extensive health and safety plans corporately and for each of our sites. These plans include two metres physical distancing, the installation of Plexiglas for areas of frequent employee/guest interactions, rigorous cleaning measures and the mandatory use of masks or face coverings for all individuals entering the gaming sites.
“Our health and safety standards have been reviewed by external subject matter experts and they have been proven to be successful through the re-opening of select food and beverage outlets across the company,” he said.
“Despite our detailed plans that well exceed the protocols and oversight in every other area of the economy, there is no sound science to support why we are not allowed to open while big-box stores, restaurants and gyms are allowed to re-open,” Santo explained.
“We operate in a highly regulated sector and are already accustomed to following government-mandated parameters,' noted Santo. 'We have complete confidence that our operations and our employees can safely and successfully operate under these added health and safety protocols.”
He said Gateway is “continuing to appeal to the appropriate government agencies in all provinces to allow us to re-open our operations in a safe and viable way.”
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At 10 a.m. this morning, the 11 properties operated by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) re-opened. At each of these sites, guests are required to reserve a two-hour gaming time-slot.
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Caesars Windsor will be re-opening on Oct. 8 by invitation only. All other Ontario casinos remain closed.