There are nine casino hotels in Atlantic City. They might as well be cats, since nine could be the limit of their number of lives.
Once again, they will try to land on the their feet, this time reopening after an unprecedented three-month shutdown courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number to keep in mind about this is not nine. It’s 33%, which Gov. Phil Murphy said was the stunning Atlantic County unemployment rate. In announcing that casinos could reopen with limited customer capacity starting July 2, the governor added that unemployment in the city itself was closer to 43%.
So, what lies ahead, except for a promise to let the gaming resume in time for the July 4th weekend? (Borgata, the city’s revenue leader, announced Tuesday that it won’t reopen to the public until July 6.)
Since there have been more Atlantic City “reboots” than Zapos has wearable boots, it’s important to focus on “the now” without messing up the real — if slow — momentum of the past three years.
Here’s what we hope to see over the next few weeks, to move to the next stage without having to step back:
To casino operators:
— Make it clean and make it count. Frequent disinfecting should be visible, even in-your-face. Make hand sanitizer, wipes and replacement masks easily accessible. As the governor says, escort out “knucklehead” customers who flout safety measures.
— Don’t get greedy. Charging $25 to self-park a car is ridiculous when Atlantic City Expressway tolls will soon go up big-time, and passengers are skittish about using public transit. As they reopened, some Las Vegas properties had to scale back odious “resort fees” that get tacked onto hotel bills. Learn from them.
To local officials and economic drivers:
— Get people back to work; worry about other stuff later. Now is not the time to riff on building a rail spur to the airport, or organize long-term working groups. For ex-employees who won’t be returning to jobs immediately, continue food distribution and other help to families.
— Rebuild that convention business — or, chuck it. How soon, if ever, will corporations and professional associations be comfortable hosting in-person sales meetings, seminars, etc.? Organizations like the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Education Association should be the first to express confidence. If they’re not ready, work on winning it back, unless it’s a permanent lost cause.
— Be shovel-ready for what you can do right now. Days ago Mayor Marty Small announced that owner Carl Icahn has filed plans to demolish the deteriorating former Trump Plaza, which should have been imploded years ago. In a possible optimistic sign, Small said that the billionaire’s plans, which allow up to another year to do the deed, are “not acceptable.”
For Gov. Murphy and Lieutenant Gov. Sheila Oliver:
— Don’t over-regulate the reopening or shroud it in confusion. There’s just one big ask: Get the details out, fast. Hearing Murphy say that compliance rules for casinos, hotels and (statewide) indoor dining are “currently being drafted and will be released in the next several days” is worrisome. These businesses would not be the first economic sectors to get stymied by contradictory rules or guidance issued unrealistically close to planned opening dates.
A lot is riding on this reopening, not least of which is the tens of thousands of jobs in several South Jersey counties that turned into furloughs or layoffs since March. When a third of a county, and nearly half of a city, is jobless, chats about the train to the plane, etc., are subject to a certain period of irrelevance.
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June 24, 2020 at 06:48PM
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N.J. casino reopening: Do it fast, do it right - nj.com
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