The croupiers’ strike at the Montreal casino seems to benefit the new casino on the Wôlinak reserve, close to Bécancour, in Centre-du-Québec.
However, the establishment is not able to quantify the increase in the number of players.
“Yes, the last week we saw an increase in traffic. It is certain that at the level of the tables we have a capacity limit”, indicated Dave Bernard, director of the Council of the Abenakis of Wôlinak.
The establishment must therefore increase its offer of poker and blackjack tables. Eventually, their number will be quadrupled to 16.
“The challenge we have in the region is to find croupiers. For the past few weeks, we have seen interesting applications for croupier positions, people who mainly come from Montreal,” added Dave Bernard.
The hourly salary of a croupier including tips reaches $40.
The Grand Royal Wôlinak Casino has been in operation since February 28, while croupiers at the Loto-Québec casino in Montreal have been on strike since May 21.
The state company did not want to “pronounce on the activities of the Wôlinak casino” which does not belong to it.
As for the impacts of the strike by its croupiers on Île Notre-Dame, Loto-Québec assured that “operations at the gaming tables continue at the casino” and that “customers are still there in the greater region of Montreal”.
