The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has ordered gaming facilities in the province to cease operations temporarily.
BCLC said the closure includes casinos, community gaming centres and bingo halls across the province.
The order for temporary closure was issued by Attorney General David Eby and announced by B.C.’s top doctor Bonnie Henry.
In Kelowna, Chances and Playtime will be closed by 11:59 p.m. on March 16.
Gateway Casinos operates Playtime in downtown Kelowna. The company’s director of public relations Tanya Gabara said they’re focusing on the health and safety of their employees and customers as they wind down operations, but the company is also working closely with employees to see how they can help them.
So far, there is no word on what type of assistance will be put in place for Gateway employees.
Black Press Media has also reached out to Chances Kelowna for more information on how this will impact their workers. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
READ MORE: B.C. to shut down all casinos to slow spread of COVID-19