Loto-Quebec and the Montreal Canadiens are in talks to install hundreds of video gambling machines at the Bell Centre, according to a radio interview.

The gaming machines, sport betting terminals and poker tables would be housed inside the restaurant 1909 Taverne Moderne. The large three-storey building adjoins the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal and has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

Loto-Quebec CEO Jean-Francois Bergeron spoke about the plan Wednesday morning in a radio interview with Paul Arcand on 98.5 FM.

“We’re not quite ready [to make an announcement], but yes, we’re in discussions,” Bergeron said, adding that as far as timeline, “ideally, it would be done by now.”