Borgata set to reopen July 26, last of Atlantic City's casinos to restart

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. on July 26, after hosting invited guests for three days. It will be the last of Atlantic City's nine gambling resorts to resume operating amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Atlantic City's casinos were permitted to resume operations July 2, following a nearly four-month long industry-wide closure due to the pandemic.

The MGM Resorts International property originally planned to reopen July 6. But two days before Atlantic City casinos were set to reopen, Gov. Phil Murphy reversed course on permitting indoor dining to resume. As a result, Borgata put reopening plans on hold.

"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," Melonie Johnson, president & COO of Borgata, said in a statement Tuesday, as reported by The Press of Atlantic City. "We appreciate our guests’ and employees’ patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming them back."

The property will host an invitation-only "soft opening" starting July 23. The casino will adhere to state mandates concerning masks, 25% gaming floor capacity and social distancing at slot machines and table games. The state also prohibited smoking, eating or drinking on the casino floor. Borgata said it expects to bring back about 40% of its employees for the first phase of reopening.

The Water Club, an adjoining non-gaming hotel, will not reopen when Borgata does later this month. Several outdoor locations at the Water Club will be utilized to create additional food and beverage options for guests. Additional outdoor options will include Street Eats food and beer trucks as well as the existing Beer Garden. Guests will be able to order room service or take-out from multiple restaurants, such as Old Homestead Steak House, Noodles of the World and Bread + Butter.

The self-parking garage will be open, but the surface parking lot and valet will be closed until further notice.