A new pilot program will allow several Alberta casinos to serve alcohol to their customers regardless of the time of day.
The trial started on July 1 and will run for six months, Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) tells CityNews.
Under the pilot, casinos and racing entertainment centres will be allowed to extend liquor service hours to match the hours of slot operations in their facilities.
This means centres that run slots 24 hours a day will also be able to serve liquor 24 hours a day.
Several rules have been put in place to ensure the safety of patrons, AGLC says.
These include limiting alcohol service to areas that include gaming activities, maintaining incident logs between midnight and 9 a.m., and not permitting off-sales during extended liquor hours.
Operators are also required to uphold strong responsible drinking and gambling policies. Staff with ProServe, ProTect, and DealUsIn certifications must all be on site during these hours.
Extended liquor hours aren’t a new thing in Alberta. The provincial regulator often provides exemptions to service hours during major international sporting events or community events, like the Calgary Stampede.
Alberta also allows 24-hour liquor service in licensed airport restaurants and lounges.
The 13 facilities currently in the pilot are: PURE Casino Calgary, Deerfoot Inn & Casino Calgary, Ace Casino Blackfoot Calgary, Ace Casinos Airport Calgary, Grey Eagle Casino Calgary area, PURE Casino Lethbridge, Cash Casino Red Deer, River Cree Edmonton area, PURE Casino Edmonton, PURE Casino Yellowhead Edmonton, Century Casino Edmonton, Great Northern Casino Grande Prairie, and Rivers Casino Fort McMurray.