The Borgata, Atlantic City’s most successful casino, will later this month become the last of the city’s nine resorts to reopen after the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown.
The MGM Resorts International property will reopen to the general public on Sunday, 26 July following its closure earlier this year amidst the coronavirus crisis. The Borgata said in a statement that its amenity offerings initially will be limited, with plans to open more fully in the coming weeks and months.
The hotel, which has 2,000 guest rooms and suites and 106,000 square feet of event space, was the only property to not immediately reopen on 2 July, the first day that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy allowed casinos to do so.
“Following the Governor’s directive to postpone indoor dining, we took a step back to reassess our reopening date to ensure we could give our guests the world-class experience they expect from us, safely,” said Melonie Johnson, the Borgata’s president and chief operating officer.
“When we reopen, Borgata will introduce new outdoor dining experiences, as well as a convenient takeout programme from several of our fine and casual dining outlets. We appreciate our guests’ and employees’ patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming them back.”
The Borgata said its hotel will open in a limited manner as New Jersey rules restrict properties to a 25% capacity limit. Indoor dining will not be available during this initial phase of reopening, while every other slot machine will be disabled to encourage social distancing.
The operator added: “MGM has compiled its own internal team and processes to respond if a guest or employee tests positive for Covid-19. We ask that if a guest tests positive after visiting one of our properties, they alert us through a special email address.
“We will immediately report any positive test results to the local health department and assist with contact tracing to support the health department investigators.”
The Borgata generated total gaming revenue of $798.0m in 2019, which was more than double the second-placed Golden Nugget on $378.4m. It was the first casino in New Jersey to accept a legal sports bet in 2018 and later that year rolled out its playMGM NJ Sports mobile sports betting app, via a partnership with GVC Holdings.