With faces covered, officials snipped a ribbon at Ocean Casino Resort. The reopening hit the reset button on Atlantic City gaming after three and a half months of pandemic pause.
It’s a different scene: no smoking, and no food or drink can be served inside. Crowds on gaming floors are limited to 25% occupancy with deactivated slots enforcing social distancing. Additionally, plexiglass shields players and everyone wears a mask.
“It’s going to be different at first. We’ll adapt. We got to do the right thing for right now. Social distancing and not eating inside,” said Toms River resident Joe Arnashus.
“It’s just nice to be back. I’m originally from Jersey. I love coming to the Jersey Shore. I’m happy people have their jobs back,” said Pennsylvania resident Tammy Barbour.
Ocean offered outdoor food trucks and restaurant take-out to replace indoor dining, but it cost extra.
“I don’t mind paying since I won several hundred dollars, so I can afford a breakfast sandwich,” said Baltimore resident Marlene Miller.
“Kind of sucks that we have to keep taking out. We can’t go out and enjoy dinner at a restaurant,” Desiree Reyes, from Ohio, said.
The operation brought back about half its staff. They know it’s rolling the dice, but Atlantic City gaming revenues plunged 60% during the lockdown.
“It’s a start. We need to start somewhere, and I’m hoping it’ll expand from here. But in the meantime, we’ll do our best to abide by all the rules that are put in place,” said Ocean Casino Resort CEO Terry Blebocki.
For now, the casinos are betting that enough patrons will come out to play and that it’ll be worth reopening at this level. Industry analysts say that’s not a bad bet.
“Any revenues that the casinos can make is going to be positive for them, and they want to reestablish their brand, reestablish their relationship with their customers,” said Jane Bokunewicz, Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism coordinator.
Out of nine casinos, five reopened to the public Thursday, including Hard Rock, which installed thermal cameras to scan patrons’ temperatures as they enter. Some players have been waiting for this day.
“I haven’t been out in four months, so coming back to my favorite casino is the bomb,” said Carol Cool from New York City.
“We’re bringing this to gamble. You know why? Because we’re going to bring the revenue back to New Jersey even though we’re from Pennsylvania,” said Johnny Solis while putting cash in his wallet.
“I’m really comfortable and confident we can do this — provide confidence to our team members, our guests and the governor that over time we can see some increases in that occupancy go up,” said Joe Lupo, president of Atlantic City Hotel and Casino, Hard Rock International Inc.
But at 25% capacity, many casino employees still aren’t sure they’ll get called back. And their health insurance, picked up by the union after layoffs, is expiring.
“We don’t even know if the casinos will go back to normal,” said Iris Sanchez, an employee at Caesar’s Hotel and Casino. “Is this the going to be the new normal?”
Three casinos — Harrah’s, Bally’s and Caesar’s — reopen Friday. Borgata chose to remain closed and is waiting until it can offer guests the full experience.
