Borgata pushes off reopening plans with indoor dining’s postponement

With plans ground to a halt for indoor dining, and casinos informed that they cannot serve liquor and alcohol inside their establishments, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa said it will postpone its reopening.

The state’s casinos are allowed to reopen on July 2. Borgata planned an invite-only soft opening, before opening to the general public on July 6.

“Our guests expect a special experience when they come to our property and if we cannot provide that level of hospitality, we feel it best that we remain closed until such time that the governor lets us know it is safe to offer food and beverage,” Borgata’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, said in a Monday statement. “The health and safety of our employees and guests are at the center of all that we do, and we regret that, at this time, we are unable to welcome back the thousands of employees who are anxious to return to work.”

Indoor dining was scheduled to resume at 25 percent capacity on July 2, after the state allowed outdoor dining to begin on June 15.

Casinos will still be able to open for business on July 2 with reduced capacity.

A slew of other reopenings are slated to commence throughout the week, malls reopened on Monday, but indoor dining was perhaps the most highly anticipated.

Despite his announcement pulling back the start for indoor dining, Murphy indicated on Monday that he would be comfortable with reopening the state’s nine casinos, which have been shuttered for more than three months.

Tom Pohlman, general manager at Golden Nugget Atlantic City, posted on Facebook that the establishment was told it could not serve alcohol inside the casino, including at indoor bars like the Chairman’s Club.

“All of the casino operators are in the same boat and are still waiting for official guidelines in regards to reopening,” Pohlman said.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-3rd District, who represents large chunks of South Jersey, said he was worried that the lack of indoor dining might push more casinos away from reopening.

“This is a huge, huge piece of opening the casinos,” Sweeney told reporters following a Monday Senate voting session—the first in-person session in three months. “Who wants to go to a casino if you can’t get dinner or a drink?”