Atlantic City’s Borgata casino delays reopening after indoor dining, booze ban

Atlantic City’s casino market will be missing its leading light when gaming operations resume on July 2.

Last week, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that AC’s casinos could partially reopen their brick-and-mortar gaming operations on July 2, ending their three-plus month COVID-19 closure. But MGM Resorts’ Borgata property said Monday that it won’t be joining this party.

The Borgata’s announcement followed Murphy’s surprise proclamation earlier Monday that he was delaying the planned rollout of indoor dining across the state. Casinos are included in this delay, and must also not serve any beverages – alcohol included – on their gaming floors or at indoor bars.

Murphy, who didn’t offer any indication of when this ban might be lifted, said the reversal was due to the recent surge in COVID-19 infections in many US states, a situation he claimed had been “compounded by instances of knucklehead behavior here at home.”