NJ Casinos Restart Outdoor Eateries, But No Gambling Is Allowed

With casinos still shuttered in Atlantic City, New Jersey, outdoor dining at some gaming venues has been allowed.

Atlantic City’s Casino Eateries Restart Operations

Gambling may have to wait a bit in Atlantic City casinos, but the gaming properties are already opening their outdoor eateries after Gov. Phil Murphy gave an official go-ahead on Monday.

The Golden Nugget is among the first properties to restart outdoors dining, with the casino’s outdoor deck opening today. Visitors will not be able to gamble there just yet, although this has been the case since 2013, but instead enjoy the food and beverages experience.

Previously, the Landshark Bar & Grill at Resorts opened its outdoor venue for dining. These openings come after the government enacted the second phase of reopening allowing various non-essential businesses, outdoor dining included, to restart operations.

Golden Nugget general manager Tom Pohlman invited visitors to come for a bite and a drink, and enjoy the view. There are also some 600-plus boats in the marina close by, giving visitors an opportunity to try something new.

Meanwhile, president of Resorts Mark Giannantonio said that business at Landshark has been picking up since it started, and that the beach bar should reopen on the weekend.

However, with eateries opening up, there has been no official date as of yet for the restart of Atlantic City’s nine casinos, which are one of the primary sources of revenue for the public purse.

No Reopening of Casino Properties in Sight

With New Jersey’s cases continuing to climb up, and holding the second-largest number of infected people, Atlantic City casinos may remain shut for a long while to come. Yet, other aspects of the economy must carry on, officials have agreed.

Other casinos may now choose to follow suite, as they have outdoor eateries and facilities that would allow visitors to come for a wine & dine experience. Borgata and Hard Rock, though, have chosen not to restart any of their operations until such a time that the entire business can reopen.

New Jersey allowed people last week to visit Broadwalk for beverages to see if that would lead to spike in new cases. A new bill is now under way to allow businesses to operate in the circumstances of pandemic and normalize some part of outdoor life.

Yet, there is no exact timeline as to when Atlantic City’s casinos can officially restart. A palliative has been the fact that New Jersey is one of the earliest adopters of online gaming and betting products, giving the business a fallback solution, albeit an imperfect one.

Another positive development for the industry has been the calls to offer casinos in the state a tax relief in a bid to cushion the impact from the pandemic.