Casino Atlantic City Reopening
- ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's casinos and horse tracks won $264.5 million in July after reopening amid the coronavirus outbreak, a figure that was down nearly 21% from a year ago, but.
- Atlantic City Casinos Reopening and Covid-19 Measures The casinos of Atlantic City have reopened in a pandemic world in a bid to try to salvage lost business. However, gamblers in Atlantic City are already being confronted with a very different casino experience. Following a 108-day closure, many of Atlantic City’s casinos.
- As New Jersey progresses in its Covid-19 pandemic recovery, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is debuting new health and safety guidelines to reopen.
- ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City’s casinos will be able to reopen July 2 at 25% capacity and everyone inside the building wearing masks, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. In a Twitter post, the Democratic governor also said indoor dining can resume on that date, with restaurants also operating at 25% capacity.
Restaurants in Atlantic City’s casinos are gearing up to resume indoor dining this Friday. Casinos were able to reopen at the beginning of July, but without indoor eating or drinking.
© Mark Makela/Getty Images The opening comes even though New Jersey has decided to postpone the reopening of indoor dining.Atlantic City casinos officially opened their doors on Thursday after a monthslong pause even as the state has paused the reopening of indoor dining.
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opened at 6 a.m. on July 2, one of the first casinos on the boardwalk to reopen, the casino shared with Travel + Leisure. In line with New Jersey’s requirement, the casino required masks be worn. The Hard Rock also took the temperatures of all guests, placed more than 200 hand sanitizer dispensers around the casino, and bought more than 1,000 air filters for common areas.
The Tropicana AC also reopened on Thursday, implementing their safety plan, which limits the number of people who can sit at each table game.
Casino Reopening In Atlantic City Nj
Bally’s, Caesars, and Harrah’s Resort, which are all part of Caesars Entertainment, planned to reopen a day later on July 3, the company told T+L.
“The well-being of our team members and guests is important to us, and we are focused on enhancing our health and safety protocols to provide an enjoyable guest experience that emphasizes social distancing and cleanliness,” Ron Baumann, the regional president for Caesars Entertainment, Atlantic City region, said in a statement.
© Provided by Travel + Leisure Mark Makela/Getty ImagesLast month, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said casinos along the waterfront city could reopen, but with a cap of 25 percent capacity. Initially, the opening date was aligned with the return of indoor dining, but it has been since postponed.
“There's an enormous amount of protocols being put in place, including social distancing, sanitization, hygienic barriers... But the great thing about casinos, they're already the most closely monitored entities in our state, if not our country,” Murphy told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the reopening. “We have got to say this unequivocally, people have to have face coverings indoors. You just have to have them. You won't be let in and if you don't have it on when you're in, you're going to be asked to leave.”
Not all hotels, however, chose to open right away. While the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa originally planned to reopen on July 6, the hotel decided to postpone that when Murphy postponed indoor dining.
“We respect the Governor’s decision to postpone the reopening of indoor dining in New Jersey to protect the public. Given this decision, our property… will remain closed,” the hotel said in a statement. “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.”
The reopening of casinos in Atlantic City follows the resumption of gambling in Las Vegas last month. Casinos in Nevada were first allowed to reopen on June 4 with safety measures in place, but masks not required. On June 17, the Nevada Gaming Control Board updated its health policies to require guests to wear masks when playing table games if there wasn’t a barrier separating players and dealers.
New Jersey allowed outdoor amusement parks, playgrounds, museums, and boardwalk arcades to reopen.
Showboat Atlantic City | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Address | 801 Boardwalk[1] |
Opening | March 30, 1987 (as casino/hotel) July 8, 2016 (as hotel only) |
Renovated | 2003, 2007, 2016 |
Closed | August 31, 2014 (as casino/hotel) |
Owner | Bart Blatstein |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 1,331[2] |
Website | |
showboathotelac.com | |
Theme | New Orleans, Mardi Gras |
Total gaming space | 127,978 sq ft (11,889.5 m2)[2] |
Casino type | Land-based |
The Showboat Atlantic City is a hotel and former casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Showboat opened as a casino hotel in 1987 and closed in 2014; the hotel reopened in 2016. It is owned by developer Bart Blatstein.[3]
History[edit]
On March 30, 1987, the Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center opened with a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) casino and a 60-lane bowling alley,[4] The complex was built on land leased from Resorts International,[5] just north of the under-construction Resorts Taj Mahal (which became the Trump Taj Mahal upon opening in 1990, now reopening as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City). The grand opening ceremony featured Bob Hope and Al Hirt.[4]
Ocean Casino Atlantic City Reopening
The Showboat opened the city's first racebook in 1993, following the legalization in 1990 of casino simulcast wagering.[6]
Steelman Partners completed a major renovation in 1995, creating a Mardi Gras theme.
In 1998, the property's parent company, Showboat, Inc., was purchased by Harrah's Entertainment, later known as Caesars Entertainment.
With the popularity of bowling on the decline, the bowling alley was closed in 2001, and the space was used for a new buffet and a coffee shop.[7]
In May 2003, the Showboat added a 544-room, $90 million hotel tower called the Orleans Tower. In 2007, the hotel remodeled its original tower, the Bourbon Tower.
In the past decade, many improvements were made to the establishment, including a new hotel tower and a House of Blues on the boardwalk, along with a complete renovation of the boardwalk facade.
In June 2014, Caesars Entertainment announced the planned closure of the Showboat, even though the property was profitable. The move was made in an effort to stabilize Caesars's other Atlantic City casinos.[8][9] After a buyer could not be found, the Showboat closed on August 31, 2014, at 4:00 p.m. It employed 2,100 people, but 470 of them were immediately hired at other Caesars casinos.[10] The shutdown came amid a wave of closures of Atlantic City properties, with four of the city's casinos closing in 2014.
On December 13, 2014, Richard Stockton College (later Stockton University) purchased the Showboat for $18 million, with plans to develop a full-service residential campus awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees and other professional training programs.[11][12] The plan was derailed by legal issues, and Stockton sold the property to Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein for $23 million in January 2016.[3][13][14][15][16][17]
Blatstein announced in June 2016 that the Showboat would reopen the following month as a non-gaming hotel.[18] The 'new' Showboat Atlantic City Hotel opened July 8, accepting reservations and welcoming guests. The new hotel features only one restaurant, bar and coffee shop. The former casino space and House of Blues areas are currently closed indefinitely and decorated with images of Atlantic City.
In February 2018, Blatstein took a preliminary step toward applying for a casino license for the property. Blatstein said 'There is over a billion dollars worth of investment in that part of the town that should not be ignored,' referring to the reopening of two shuttered casinos next to the Showboat, the Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Later that year, Blatstein also announced plans to convert 264 of the Showboat's hotel rooms into apartments.[19] In early 2019, Bart Blatstein was approved to apply for a casino license. Blatstein planned to build a new casino in the lot in between Showboat and Ocean Casino Resort. Due to a deed restriction placed on Showboat by Caesars Entertainment, the building may not be used as a casino, so building a new building was a way around it. The new casino was expected to break ground in 2020.[20] However, in December 2020, the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved Blatstein's request for financial assistance to turn the space originally intended for a casino into a $100 million indoor water park. Blatstein also sought to have the park designated as an entertainment retail district project, allowing the park to qualify for up to $2.5 million in annual sales tax breaks for 20 years.[21]
Dining[edit]
Current Restaurants
- Worship Surf Bar
- Canal Street Coffee Shop
- 12 Bar
- Bricker's Burgers & More [22]
- Atlantic City Eatery
Former Restaurants
- Atlantic City Eatery
- Casa di Napoli
- Crossroads
- Foundation Room Dining
- French Quarter Buffet
- Royal Noodle House
- Scarduzio's Steak - Sushi - Lounge
- Sundeck Coffee Shop
- Starbucks Coffee
- Worship Surf Bar
Amenities[edit]
Showboat has a 3,500 sq.ft. spa, a fitness center, a pool and two gift shops. Prior to the addition to the House of Blues, shows were performed in two venues, either the Mardi Gras Showroom or Mississippi Pavilion. Bob Hope was the first headliner at the resort. Other headliners included Phyllis Diller, Charo, The Judds, Ray Charles, The Spinners, Jack Jones, Alan King and Willie Nelson. Smaller Las Vegas-style revue shows were also sporadically booked in the Mardi Gras Showroom. The opening of The House of Blues in 2005 saw the entertainment bookings ranging from Cyndi LauperElvis Costello to the White Stripes to Erykah Badu. Boxing matches are held at the casino.[23]
Upon the reopening of the Showboat, the hotel rebranded the former House of Blues as the Bourbon Room[24] which hosts concerts and other events. The hotel also introduced a video arcade called Starcade[25] and a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course sponsored by Glow Golf[26] However, both the Starcade and Glow Golf establishments have closed.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Property Record for 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
- ^ abShowboat Atlantic City Review by Casino City
- ^ abJonathan Lai (January 15, 2016). 'Stockton completes Showboat sale to Blatstein'. Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- ^ abDonald Janson (March 31, 1987). '12th casino hotel opens, with 60-lane attraction'. New York Times. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
- ^George Anastasia (February 11, 1986). 'Hearing focuses on Resorts as a redeveloper'. Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^Mike Farrell (May 29, 1993). 'Casino welcomes horses'. The Record. Bergen County, NJ. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^Joe Bob Briggs (January 9, 2002). 'The Vegas Guy: Showboat Atlantic City'. UPI. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
- ^'Caesars closing Showboat Casino 'to stabilize our business in Atlantic City'' Breaking News pressofatlanticcity.com
- ^Showboat closes after 27 years in Atlantic City - News - NorthJersey.com
- ^https://web.archive.org/web/20140830182513/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20140829_ap_3fe0a255bdfd4830ae3c3c79ef8c17a2.html
- ^Forand, Rebecca (December 12, 2014). 'Stockton buys Showboat for $18 million, creating 'Island campus''. South Jersey Times. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
- ^Trump Taj Mahal blocking Stockton University move to Showboat, says school president NJ.com
- ^Opinion: Showboat good for Stockton and A.C. - Opinion: Guest Writers - NorthJersey.com
- ^Stockton President Resigns Over Purchase of Bankrupt Showboat Casino - NJ Spotlight
- ^[1]
- ^New information indicates Stockton University broke N.J. law in purchasing Showboat casino - News - NorthJersey.com
- ^Costs from Stockton University's casino purchase grow - News - NorthJersey.com
- ^Wayne Parry (June 3, 2016). 'Atlantic City's Showboat is reopening — but without casino'. Seattle Times. AP. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ^David Danzis (October 24, 2018). 'Showboat may soon offer market-rate apartments'. Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
- ^Nicholas Huba (February 20, 2018). 'Is casino gaming returning to the Showboat?'. Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
- ^Devin O'Connor (December 29, 2020). 'New Jersey Casino Authority Approves Tax Credits for Showboat Atlantic City Water Park'. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
- ^https://www.showboathotelac.com/atlantic-city-hotel
- ^'Boxing is making a comeback in Atlantic City'. pressofatlanticcity.com. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
- ^https://www.bourbonroomac.com
- ^https://starcade-ac.com/
- ^https://www.opryglowgolf.com/locations/atlantic-city-new-jersey-showboat-hotel
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 39°21′42″N74°25′5″W / 39.36167°N 74.41806°W