- Casinos, including casino gaming floors and retail sports wagering lounges, can reopen, while complying with mitigation requirements. Casinos must comply with all requirements from Executive Order No. 157, Executive Order No. 192, and the Division of Gaming Enforcement and with reopening protocols from the Casino Association of New Jersey.
- The Casino Association of New Jersey has worked with the AtliCare health system to develop a plan to reopen safely, including social-distancing and cleaning guidelines. Murphy said he hasn’t.
Update: Governor Phil Murphy announced on June 22 that New Jersey casinos can reopen at 25% capacity from July 2, in time for the Fourth of July weekend. This comes as part of a new executive order permitting indoor gatherings of up to 100 persons or 25% of a room’s capacity. Gov. Murphy added that casino visitors who do not comply with the facilities’ safety measures will be escorted off the premises.
As New Jersey progresses in its Covid-19 pandemic recovery, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is debuting new health and safety guidelines to reopen.
Next reopening stage excludes casinos
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he hopes to allow Atlantic City casinos to reopen by July 4, but the decision appears to be at least a couple of weeks away. Murphy referenced the aspirational date on the AC Mike Show with Mike Lopez on WOND radio Sunday morning.
Casinos in the east coast gambling hub have been dark since March 16 in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. New Jersey is currently in Stage 1 of its reopening plan, called “The Road Back”. In a Monday press conference, Governor Murphy announced that because public health metrics have greatly improved and are trending in the right direction, the state can enter Stage 2 on June 15.
Outdoor dining and limited in-person retail can resume on June 15
Unfortunately for those who want to get back to gaming, he did not mention casinos. Outdoor dining and limited in-person retail can resume on June 15, provided there is no significant “backslide” in the COVID-19 data, while salons and barber shops can reopen on June 22. Gyms and health clubs, among other venues, will be able to reopen sometime after that.
Casinos would seem to fall into Stage 3, which includes “limited entertainment” and bars. All places that are permitted to reopen, regardless of the stage, must adhere to strict health and safety guidelines.
“Trying like heck” to get there
In his radio interview on Sunday, Governor Murphy said of a casino reopening date: “It’s probably still too early to give you a very specific answer, but there’s a lot of work going into that right now.”
He added that he and his team are “trying like heck to get toward” a target date of before or on the Fourth of July, where “subject to a lot of different parameters the casinos can be open again.”
It’s indoors, no ventilation. You’re sedentary, you’re in close proximity”
“The bad news is casinos sort of have the attributes that are hardest to deal with this virus. It’s indoors, no ventilation. You’re sedentary, you’re in close proximity,” he said.
Murphy did say, though, that because casinos are “big footprints”, he thinks the health challenges are solvable, implying that despite the inherent disadvantages, the large spaces can lend themselves to social distancing.
Casinos reopening in other states
Though New Jersey’s casino future is still up in the air, several states have begun reopening their gambling facilities. Most notably, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced last week that the Silver State’s casinos can begin accepting guests on Thursday, June 4.
Most major gaming companies have announced which of their Las Vegas properties will be in the first phase of reopening. Included among many others are the Flamingo, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand, Wynn, and the Venetian.
The Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach has drawn kudos from the poker world
MGM has already reopened casinos in Mississippi, as has Eldorado in Louisiana. Several card rooms and casinos have also reopened in Florida, with Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood serving as a notable exception. The Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach has drawn kudos from the poker world for the safety measures it has taken in its poker room, including substituting the dealer puck with a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Casino Information
ATLANTIC CITY CASINO HOTELS
The Commission licenses the below casino licensees. N.J.S.A. 5:12-82.
Casino Licensee: Premier Entertainment A.C., LLC
Parent Company: Bally's Corporation
Address: 1900 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: December 29, 1979
Interim Casino Authorization:November 4, 2020
URL: https://www.caesars.com/ballys-ac
General Phone Number: 609-340-2000
Nicholas J. Polcino, Jr., General Manager & Chief Gaming Executive
Casino Licensee: Marina District Development Company, LLC
Parent Company: MGM Resorts International
Address: One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: July 2, 2003
Last License Renewal Date:June 24, 2010
(effective July 1, 2010)
URL:https://www.theborgata.com/resort
General Phone Number: 609-317-1000
Melonie Johnson, President & COO
Casino Licensee: Boardwalk Regency, LLC
(successor in interest to Boardwalk Regency Corporation)
Parent Company: Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Address: 2100 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: June 26, 1979
Last License Renewal Date:June 18, 2008
URL:https://www.caesars.com/caesars-ac
General Phone Number: 609-348-4411
Joseph Lodise, Senior Vice President and General Manager
Casino Licensee: Golden Nugget Atlantic City, LLC
Parent Company: Fertitta Entertainment Holdings, LLC
Address: Huron Ave. & Brigantine Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: June 19, 1985 (Trump Castle Associates)
Sold: February 11, 2011 (Golden Nugget Atlantic City, LLC)
Interim Casino Authorization Issued: May 23, 2011
License Issued: February 15, 2012
URL:https://www.goldennugget.com/atlanticcity/
General Phone Number: 609-441-2000
Tilman J. Fertitta, President
Thomas M. Pohlman, Executive Vice President & General Manager
CasinoLicensee (manager): HR Atlantic City, LLC
Parent Company: Seminole HR Holdings, LLC
CasinoLicensee (owner/operator): Boardwalk 1000, LLC
Parent Company: Hard Rock Tristate AC, LLC
Address: 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: June 27, 2018
License Issued:May 9, 2018 (effective June 27, 2018)
URL:https://hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com/
General Phone Number: 609-449-1000
Joseph Lupo, President & General Manager
CasinoLicensee: Harrah's Atlantic City Operating Company, LLC
Parent Company: Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Address: 777 Harrah's Boulevard, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: November 23, 1980
Last License Renewal Date:June 18, 2008
URL:https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-ac
General Phone Number: 609-441-5000
Gregg Klein, Senior Vice President and General Manager
CasinoLicensee: AC Ocean Walk, LLC
Parent Company: TEN RE ACNJ, LLC
Address: 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: June 27, 2018
License Issued:June 21, 2018 (effective June 27, 2018)
Holding Company Qualification Date: May 6, 2020
URL:https://www.theoceanac.com/
General Phone Number: 609-783-8000
Theresa Glebocki, Chief Executive Officer
CasinoLicensee: DGMB Casino, LLC
Address: 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: May 26, 1978 (Resorts International, Inc.)
Sold: December 7, 2010 (DGMB Casino, LLC)
License Issued:July 13, 2011
URL:https://resortsac.com/home/
General Phone Number: 609-344-6000 or 1-800-334-6378
Mark Giannantonio, President & CEO
Casino Licensee: Tropicana Atlantic City Corp.
Parent Company: Eldorado Resorts, Inc.
Address: 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Opening Date: November 26, 1981
Last Casino License Resubmission Date: March 10, 2016
Holding Company Qualification Date : June 11, 2019
URL:https://tropicana.net/
General Phone Number: 609-340-4000 or 1-800-843-8767
Jacqueline S. Grace, Senior Vice President and General Manager
INTERNET GAMING AFFILIATES
Casino Openings Nj
The Commission licenses the below Internet gaming affiliates of casino licensees. N.J.S.A. 5:12-82b(5). For a list of Internet Gaming sites approved by the Division of Gaming Enforcement and related information, go to the Division of Gaming Enforcement's website.
Are Nj Casinos Opening Soon
Affiliate of: Caesars Atlantic City
Initial License Date: November 20, 2013
Address: c/o Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
General Phone Number: 609-348-4411
Mitchell Garber, CEO
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Nj Casino Opening Date
Affiliate of: Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Initial License Date: November 25, 2020
Address: Huron Ave. & Brigantine Blvd., Atlantic City, NJ 08401
General Phone Number: 609-441-2000
Tilman J. Fertitta, CEO
Thomas Winter, President
Affiliate of: DGMB Casino, LLC d/b/a Resorts Casino Hotel
Initial License Date: August 12, 2015
Address: 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
General Phone Number: 609-344-6000
Edward Henry Duff Andrewes, Chief Executive Officer