- Casinos in New Jersey and Philadelphia reopen ahead of Independence Day weekend.
- Borgata Atlantic City decides not to reopen due to the drinking and smoking ban.
- Casinos in Miami-Dade County have to close their doors once again.
New Jersey citizens made gambling legal in Atlantic City in 1976. Since then, casinos were working without any major interruptions. At least, not until 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Atlantic City casinos had to go on the longest hiatus in their history, which lasted for more than three months.
However, after 108 days, Atlantic City casinos are finally back in business, starting this week. New Jersey government has decided to loosen up its anti-COVID-19 measures, which includes allowing casinos to open their doors to visitors once again. On Thursday, five Atlantic City casinos reopened, followed by three more on Friday.
Eight Out of Nine Atlantic City Casinos Are Back in Business
As mentioned in last week’s news recap, Atlantic Casinos are working hard to prepare for the 4th of July weekend. Big crowds of casino enthusiasts are expected to swarm to the casinos.
However, casinos will be allowed to let a limited number of visitors inside. New Jersey’s government has decided to allow casino reopening, but only if the number of visitors doesn’t go over 25% capacity.
That’s not the only change Atlantic City casinos need to adapt to – there’s no dining, drinking, or smoking inside the venues. This decision was announced by New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy on Monday. It’s needless to say that the casinos weren’t too happy about it.
Nevertheless, eight Atlantic City casinos decided to continue with their reopening plans. Caesars, Bally’s, Harrah’s, Hard Rock, Ocean, Resorts, Tropicana, and Golden Nugget reopened on Thursday/Friday. The only casino that decided to stay closed is Borgata.
We respect the Governor’s decision to postpone the reopening of indoor dining in New Jersey to protect the public. Given this decision, our property Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/XTNxyw212R
— BORGATA (@BorgataAC) June 29, 2020
According to the casino management, Borgata Atlantic City is much more than just another casino. This is a place that offers other forms of entertainment aside from casino gambling. The Governor’s decision to ban dining, drinking, and smoking inside casinos would affect Borgata’s profits.
Instead of reopening in time for the Independence Day weekend, Borgata Atlantic City will wait for anti-COVID-19 measures to loosen up even more. Until then, Borgata will rely on its online casino to bring profits to the company.
Pennsylvania Casinos Open for the Fourth
Pennsylvania did pretty much the same as New Jersey when casino reopening is concerned. Earlier this week, 11 out of 12 PA are back in business after several months.
Pennsylvania casinos did have to make some changes in order to be allowed to get back to business ahead of the Independence Day weekend. Some of the anti-coronavirus measures they had to take include mandatory face masks for guests and casino staff, social distancing markings, and so on.
Unlike New Jersey, where casinos are allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board decided to go with 50%.
Miami Casinos Shut Down Again
As a reaction to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Florida, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has signed a decree suspending commercial casinos. The decision will affect only commercial casinos in Miami-Dade County, while tribal casinos will remain open.
This is the second time this year that the casinos in the area will have to close down. The first time was in March when the first wave of the pandemic was at its peak.
Florida was one of the first states to reopen after the state-wide shutdown. In May, the state hosted several major sports events, including some UFC fights. Florida is also the state in which the NBA season will resume over the summer. The Sunshine State was also among the first states to allow casinos to get back in the business.
Stay-at-Home Online Casino Bonuses
Unfortunately for casino lovers living in Miami-Dade County, land-based venues have shut down, while online casino gambling is not legal in Florida.
Gamblers from New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, however, should consider themselves luckier. Not only do these three states allow online gaming, but some internet casinos are giving awesome Independence Day bonuses.
With coronavirus still posing a serious threat, maybe it would be best to stay at home over the weekend. Instead of visiting land-based casinos, you can play slots, roulette, and all the other casino games on your computer.
The best thing is that you could get some fantastic bonuses this weekend. To check what kind of spoils await you, make sure to check out our No Deposit Bonus page!
