According to the Nova Scotia Gaming Control Act, casino gaming is under the auspices of the Nova Scotia Liquor and Gaming Authority and the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. The authority is in charge of the regulation and control of all legalized gaming in the province. The corporation, in turn, conducts and manages all legalized forms of gaming in the province. For casino gaming, the corporation entered into a contractual arrangement with Sheraton Casinos Nova Scotia to operate the two casinos as the sole appointed agent on behalf of the corporation for a period of twenty years.
Games of chance permitted to be played in Nova Scotia casinos are roulette, baccarat, minibaccarat, blackjack, slot machines, keno, video poker, video keno, video blackjack, pai gow, pai gow poker, big six, craps, and poker and its variations. For slot machines, the payout must not be less than 86%.
Nova Scotia casinos are open all days of the year with the exception of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Remembrance Day (11 November), and Christmas Day. The casinos can operate on a twenty-four-hour basis, but only the Halifax Casino does so for seven days a week; as an economy measure, the Sydney casino operates twenty-four hours a day on Fridays and Saturdays and from noon to 4 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays.
In accordance with the strict liquor regulations in Nova Scotia, the Gaming Control Act does not permit the provision of complimentary alcoholic beverages in casinos. From day one, Sheraton Casinos Nova Scotia made numerous attempts to have this rule changed. These efforts were successful to the extent that the operator will be able to provide free alcoholic beverages to high-end players in the designated area (Crown Club area) of the Halifax Casino Nova Scotia. In addition, high-end players from outside of the province will be able to receive credit on demand in this casino.
The Halifax Casino Nova Scotia has a gaming floor space of 34,900 square feet with 40 table games and 688 slot machines. The Sydney Casino Nova Scotia has 20 table games and 350 slot machines on 15,400 square feet of gaming floor space.
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