Closed for over 100 days, casinos in Atlantic City have reopened

The familiar sights and sounds at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the ones that were there when it closed on March 16, are still there. The lights of the slot machines were still bright and colorful. You could hear the sound of a machine celebrating someone who just won some money, and the occasional moan of someone who just lost a hand.

But there was a lot of new stuff on Thursday when it first opened since mid-March, when casinos across the state were closed by an executive order from Governor Phil Murphy in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. .

A team of employees in “safe and sound” neon shirts was in place, cleaning the plexiglass and other surfaces throughout the day. Thermal imaging verified the body temperature of visitors when they entered. Around 1,000 new filters brought the flow of outside air into the building, changing the air in the room 10 to 12 times per hour.

Jim Allen, President of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, told NJ Advance Media that the Hard Rock brand had spent more than $ 100 million to treat the COVID virus globally. Allen said that while it will be a difficult financial year due to the closure, the business will be able to persevere.

“We saw this begin to happen at some of our international locations, specifically in China at our hotel in Shenzhen, which is a beautiful property that we just opened,” Allen said. “I was really starting to get it right. We certainly saw that this was going to be a potential concern. As for the United States, we knew what was coming. ”

Allen is not only monitoring the reopening of the casino and the upcoming weekend of July 4, but is also keeping an eye on what will happen with the planned protest that will take place on Saturday in Atlantic City. Allen said he spoke to protest organizer Steve Young on Wednesday and that the two had a great conversation. Allen said he supports the peaceful protests but does not want to see it rise to the level of unrest.

“I sure hope we can come together so we don’t have a real riot on the busiest weekend of the year,” said the president and CEO. “If people want to protest, we 100% support their initiative. We understand it. We have the same mindset. We don’t understand what happened to George Floyd. That is a very tragic situation.”

“The last thing Atlantic City, and all of these employers and 39,000 residents need, is a major confrontation where potentially more people and businesses are affected because, frankly and unfortunately, it loses focus on what the real goal here is, that Hard Rock supports Allen continued.

Hard Rock Atlantic City President Joe Lupo has been thinking about this day for more than 100 days. For Lupo, seeing the employees and guests back at the hotel makes him very happy.

“It’s great to be open again,” said Lupo. “That has been our goal for a long time. Most importantly, we are doing it in a really safe environment. We are happy that the doors are open in some difficult times, but it is better to open up first and work as much as we can.”

Sitting and playing “Sol y Luna” slots, John Borowsky was having a good time. Borowsky, who works in Atlantic City, said it was good to get out of the house and be sociable again. He also said that he would get ahead on slot machines.

“I really am fine,” Borowsky said. “I started with $ 20, and now I have $ 145, so I’m fine.”

Barbara Phelan came to Atlantic City from Manchester Township to play machines. Phelan added that it was nice to have some normalcy again.

“It’s good to get out of the house,” said Phelan. “I’ve been going to the beach and things like that. It’s good to have some freedom, even with everything that happens. ”

A ribbon was cut on the Ocean Casino Resort boardwalk to mark the end of the post-coronavirus closure. Ocean Casino Resort President and CEO Terry Glebocki said the size of the facility allows it some flexibility when it comes to offerings like food.

“We will be at 90% occupancy tonight and 100% this weekend,” said Glebocki. “To help with the current ban on eating indoors, a series of food trucks were installed … just outside the building and we’ve opened a dozen take-out locations.”

Glebocki added that with the additional steps taken, such as plexiglass in board games, and having someone check to make sure no one has had symptoms of the virus, visitors should be patient with the new normal.

“Please wear your masks, practice social distancing, and practice something that is not written anywhere, and that is called patience. This is new to all of us. We are here to do our best. “

After cutting the tape, Joe Arnashus of Toms River sat at the blackjack table and watched the dealer place the cards in front of him. Arnahus felt good in his element.

“It is good to be back home,” said Arnashus. “Everyone is concerned about not eating and drinking in casinos. There are many restaurants here. Just go out to eat or drink to make it easy and keep everything cleaner. We can live with that for a time. Hopefully, it won’t be forever, but we’ll do what we have to do to make it work. ”

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Chris Franklin can be contacted at [email protected].

Tim Hawk can be contacted at [email protected].