Jobs affected as Grand Villa Edmonton casino cuts back hours

Downtown Edmonton road and LRT construction, plus a weak economy, are being blamed for cutbacks at the casino located in Ice District.

The Grand Villa Edmonton casino, located next to Rogers Place, is scaling back its hours of operation. Beginning Sept. 15, the casino will only be open from Thursday to Sunday from noon to 1 a.m. The casino will also stay open during major events and concerts at Rogers Place.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, which operates the casino, said the changes are temporary but didn’t elaborate on how long the scaled-back hours would remain in place.

The changes mean employees are affected. The entertainment group couldn’t say how many employees’ jobs will be affected, but added that it is working with the union on several options, which include voluntary exit packages, scaling back from full time to part time, or moving to work at a sister property in the city.

“We examined all options and despite our best efforts to minimize the impact on our employees, these changes are necessary if we are to be successful in the years to come,” read a statement from Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited Friday.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We examined all options and despite our best efforts to minimize the impact on our employees, these changes are necessary if we are to be successful in the years to come," read a statement from Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited Friday.

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“We have worked with the union to negotiate a workforce adjustment agreement for GVE that will minimize the impact to our employees, which has been mutually agreed to by the employer and the union.”

The company also said a lack of surface parking and delays in residential and hospitality projects in the downtown core have “made it difficult for customers to visit us.”

“The current volume of business at GVE means we need to make this change while we wait for the downtown redevelopment to reach its full potential.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The current volume of business at GVE means we need to make this change while we wait for the downtown redevelopment to reach its full potential."

The $32-million facility opened in September 2016 and includes several restaurants. Gateway Casinos & Entertainment said it has invested almost $90 million in Edmonton’s economy and created more than 550 jobs since the casino opened.

Watch below: Grand Villa Casino opens doors to Edmontonians (September 2016)

2:28 Grand Villa Casino opens doors to Edmontonians

Global News has reached out to the union representing the workers but did not receive a response by the time this story was published.