Great Canadian Gaming has announced it will shutter all 10 of its B.C. casinos to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The company said the “temporary” closures would go into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, and were in conjunction with the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC), which is the governing body for all gaming in the province.

“While there have been no cases of COVID-19 reported at Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, this measure has been deemed to be in the best interests of the public’s health and the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19,” the company said in a statement.

Great Canadian owns 10 casinos in B.C., including the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, and Elements Casinos in Surrey, Chilliwack and Victoria.

The Hastings Racecourse and Casino in Vancouver and Chances in both Maple Ridge and Dawson Creek are also affected.

The fate of all other casinos in B.C. is still an open question. BCLC would not say definitively if it was ordering casinos across the province to close.

BCLC issued a statement earlier Sunday saying it was “actively monitoring” the “evolving situation” of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the meantime, BCLC said it had made operational changes along with casino operators to promote social distancing, following public health guidelines.

Those measures include increasing space between slot machines and seats at table games.

Additional hand sanitizing stations and cleaning measures have also been introduced, BCLC said. Signage has also been put up to inform players and staff of the new measures.

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