Borgata Plans To Reopen Its Doors On July 26 With Safety Precautions In Place

Since New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy authorized the reopening of Atlantic City casinos on July 2, the question on many minds has been when the Borgata’s doors will reopen. Wonder no more.

Borgata will reopen to the public with limited offerings at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 26. There are many restrictions that casino patrons should be aware of before they go, however.

Precautions in place for the Borgata reopening

After deciding to remain closed in early July, Borgata Atlantic City’s full relaunch will follow an invitation-only soft reopening for the three days before July 26. That will give the staff a chance to iron out any kinks in the plans.

“Following the governor’s directive to postpone indoor dining, we took a step back to reassess our reopening date to ensure we could give our guests the world-class experience they expect from us, safely,” said Melonie Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Borgata, in a press release.

“When we reopen, Borgata will introduce new outdoor dining experiences, as well as a convenient takeout program from several of our fine and casual dining outlets. We appreciate our guests’ and employees’ patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming them back.”

Most of the restrictions guests will encounter are the result of Murphy’s directions and the Division of Gaming Enforcement COVID-19 guidelines. These include a ban on smoking indoors, no indoor dining and a limit of 25% of fire code capacity.

And as is now the norm in AC, Borgata will require all employees and guests to wear face masks at all times while on the property. The casino will take further measures to encourage social distancing by disabling alternating slot machines and prohibiting guests from standing behind or beside players.

Borgata’s further efforts to enhance sanitation on the gaming floor include hand-wash stations and plexiglass barriers. The gaming floor isn’t the only place where guests’ experiences will differ from before the pandemic, however. MGM also announced a seven-point safety plan in May for the hotels and outdoor dining spaces at Borgata.

Introducing BorgataEATS and other amenities changes

One area of focus for limiting contact is the hotel check-in process at Borgata and the Water Club. Both properties now offer mobile or telephone check-in options.

Valet parking for the Water Club and Borgata will be closed, as will the surface parking lot. All guests should use self-service parking.

The Race & Sports Book will reopen, but the poker room will be closed during this first phase of Borgata’s reopening.

As there are no indoor dining options, Borgata has introduced an on-site food delivery and takeout service called BorgataEATS. Guests may use the service to order food while at the property regardless of whether they are staying in the hotel or not.

Additionally, many of Borgata’s outdoor eateries will offer sit-down dining upon reopening. Those include:

• Borgata Beer Garden
• Sunbar at The Water Club
• Borgata Gardens
• Borgata Street Eats & Beer Trucks

The Borgata Baking Company, Marketplace Eatery and Starbucks will offer grab-and-go beverages and food as well. While the hotel’s indoor pool will remain closed, the outdoor pool will be open. There will be limited seating around the outdoor pool.

Several of the on-site retail shops also will reopen on July 26. These include Borgata Collections, Carrello, Carina, Misura and Tumi.

Provided everything goes according to plan, this will represent the last piece of the Atlantic City casino puzzle coming back. For Borgata, July 26 will be a day over four months in the making.