All guests and employees will be required to wear a mask, including those that have received all the required vaccination shots to gain protection from the virus. Social distancing guidelines are still in full force. Temperature screenings won’t be as serious as before and would vary at the property, however, it is expected when entering a casino.
Smoking inside Atlantic City casinos is still prohibited, however, guests can do so in designated hotel rooms.
Indoor bar seating returns to Atlantic City casinos with Buffets and self-serve-style restaurants resuming normal operations that were shut down due to government restrictions.
The indoor capacity limit for casinos, restaurants, bars, spas, and pools remains the same though the Governor has eased restrictions which will take effect on May 19. That same day, the capacity limit for indoor entertainment with more than 1,000 fixed seats will increase to 30%.
Several things have changed at Atlantic City casinos in the last 12 months with the pandemic changing how casinos go about their business. Some non-gambling options will open or close on the due date while others won’t be coming back or will remain closed.
Several of the casinos are already spending big bucks on renovating hotel rooms, updating their catalogs of table games and slot machines, while some have introduced new player reward programs to attract more patrons.
There are already several new things in place but here are some things to watch out for:
- Harrah’s Resort: Rum Point Crab House; The Baywalk (opening soon)
- Resorts: Dougherty’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar (opening soon)
- Ocean: The Cove (high-limit slot room)
- Bally’s: FanDuel Sportsbook; Jerry Longo’s Meatballs and Martinis (coming soon)
- Hard Rock has a yet-to-be-announced restaurant coming this summer.
Borgata is introducing a new concept which will replace Bobby Flay Steak, which is already scheduled to close on June 30.
Several changes are also coming to Bally’s with the most prominent being the replacement of Bucca di Beppo and Arturo’s with new restaurants.
The new changes will see to the end of some previous partnerships. Gallagher’s Steakhouse/Gallagher’s Burger Bar at Resorts and Veracruz at Harrah’s will no longer be the mainstay. This could be an effect of the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, several restaurants and bars that were shut down due to the Covid-19 never reopened. Some of those that reopened aren’t doing well either considering the capacity limits put in place.
Hopefully, as the restrictions are being lifted, these establishments should be able to get their backs up and go back to normal operations.
The changes in the next few weeks would be most significant for high rollers interested in classy dining and entertainment. Casual gamers and low rollers will also have something to look forward to.
