Employees and patrons returned to Casino Rama on Tuesday morning after more than a three-week shutdown caused by a ransomware attack that impacted Gateway Casinos across Ontario.
A small crowd of about 15 people anxiously waited at Casino Rama’s main entrance this morning about 20 minutes before the doors opened at 10 a.m. First in line was Tish Dalley, from Oro-Medonte.
“I came here today to win some money,” she said. “I was anxious to get back here because it was closed for so long.”
Dalley said she had a hunch the slot machines would be paying out after sitting idle for a while.
“I only come to the casino about two or three times a month,” she said. “They have lost a lot of money here during the closure, so I wanted to come back to support."
Nadia, who declined to provide her last name for this article, made her way to Casino Rama on Tuesday morning from Woodbridge.
“I’m an avid gambler,” she laughed. “I really missed the casino when it was closed. I come here every day, sometimes twice a day.”
Nadia says she missed more than just the gambling during the closure.
“I really like it here,” she said. “I like the shows, I like the entertainment, and I love the people.”
Nadia told OrilliaMatters she has been a frequent visitor of the casino since it opened in 1996. The casino had been open 24/7 365 days a year since it opened, until the pandemic hit. The ransomware attack was the second forced closure of the popular site east of Orillia.
“I know most of the staff here,” she said. “I was sad for them and definitely wanted to come back today to show support.”
Greg Weaver, Unifor's chairperson for Casino Rama and second vice-president for Unifor Local 1090, the union representing many of the casino's staff, says the last few weeks were “extremely difficult” on employees who were left out of work due to the attack.
“It was difficult both financially and mentally,” he said. “It had a huge impact on their lives.”
The loss of work came at a time when some Casino Rama employees were still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, which left them out of work for parts of two years.
“Nobody expected this,” Weaver said. “It’s really hard to prepare for a cyber-attack.”
Weaver says employees were kept in the loop during the shutdown. There were around 18 communications sent out to employees, he noted.
“There were some concerned members looking for updates,” he said. “They were looking to get back to work as soon as they could.”
While slots and table games re-opened today along with Weirs, St. Germain's Steakhouse, and Centre Bar, restaurants such as Simcoe Yard House, and the Couchiching Court Buffet remain closed until later in the week.
“The members that are here today are happy to be back to work,” Weaver said, noting that it’s going to take some time for Casino Rama to get all systems firing again.
“Not everybody is back to work today,” he said. “All the classifications are coming back, there may just be the odd staff shortage.”
The casino is operated by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment. The company owns or operates 14 casinos in Ontario; Rama was the last of the properties to reopen in the wake of the April 16 ransomware attack.
Robert Mitchell, Gateway's director of communications and public affairs, said it took time to get all the properties back on line.
