While the Atlantic City casinos are chomping at the bit to reopen their doors on July 2, the Borgata is waiting until 10am on Monday, July 6 in order to test drive their safety measures first. It is expected that all other casinos in the region will recommence operations by the Independence Day weekend.
Melonie Johnson, the president of Borgata, recently stated, “We are proud to be part of this resilient community that has remained strong and caring during these challenging months. When we reopen our doors, we do so with excitement to welcome back our employees and guests, and with an unwavering commitment to their health and safety. Summer is a special time in Atlantic City, and we look forward to playing a part in offering some much-needed entertainment.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was under a lot of pressure to allow the Atlantic City casinos to reopen. The July 2 date that he announced was positively received considering the casino properties would not miss out on the Fourth of July holiday. Strict safety guidelines will be enforced at the casinos and there will also be limited capacity.
Murphy stated that the casinos do not have to open by July 2, and they can test the new safety measures in place with a kind of soft opening for “friends, family and loyal customers”. That is exactly what the Borgata is doing, but it does not look like any other casinos will follow suit.
As of June 26, five of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are open. An additional two casinos are expected to reopen on the first day of July. All of the casinos on the Strip are following the same seven-point safety plan.
All MGM casino properties are subject to the same set of safety guidelines, but Borgata in Atlantic City is taking it a step further. Distancing will be promoted on the casino floor, with every second slot machine disabled so no two neighbouring machines are in use at the same time. There are polycarbonate barriers around many of the table games and poker will not be available in the reopening’s initial phase. The surface parking lot at the casino property will be closed and there will be no valet parking, but the self-parking garage will be open.