Aesars Entertainment’s three Atlantic City properties will open July 3 at 10 a.m., the company announced Friday. Following New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's order authorizing the reopening of Atlantic City casinos as of July 2, Bally's, Caesars, and Harrah's Resort will reopen on Friday, July 3, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday. Interestingly, there is no live casino or live dealer tables of any kind at Caesars online, which is missing from the online store at this point. With Caesars online Atlantic City as one of the big guns, it’s hard to believe the company hasn’t recognized the absolute boom Live casino has made online over the past couple of years.

Latest Atlantic City casino news

In 1977, New Jerseylegalized gambling within the confines of Atlantic City. In that time, numerous casinos have come, gone, or rebranded themselves on the Jersey Shore.

With so much flux in America’s Playground, it’s important to keep a running list of what options are available to Atlantic City residents and visitors.

Top Atlantic City Online Casinos

See below for the most up-to-date information about which casinos are open in Atlantic City.

Total gambling options at Atlantic City casinos

Open casinos

Bally’s Atlantic City

Bally’s Atlantic City began life in 1979 as Bally’s Park Place. It later expanded to include the Claridge and Hi-Ho casinos.

Bally’s is one of three casinos in Atlantic City owned by Caesars Entertainment. It is located on the southeast corner of Michigan and Pacific avenues and backs up to the Boardwalk.

Bally’s has no NJ gambling site or online sportsbook to its name. However, it shares an NJ online gambling license with its sister casinos, Caesars and Harrah’s. As such, the following sites are nested under Bally’s license in New Jersey:

Online casinos

Online Poker

Online Sportsbooks

Borgata

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa opened in 2003. Its proposition was unusual for Atlantic City in that it sought to create a Las Vegas-type feeling inside the casino, rather than jamming the floor with slot machines.

Borgata featured 200 table games and a 34-table poker room. Its timing could not have been better for the latter, as Chris Moneymaker’s WSOP Main Event win generated unprecedented interest in poker.

Borgata expanded its poker room to 85 tables (at the time) and became the dominant poker venue on the East Coast. The success carried over to the rest of the property.

It emerged as the New Jersey revenue leader in 2005 and has never relinquished that title. As of January 2019, the entire property’s year-to-date revenue far exceeds that of any other Atlantic City casino.

MGM Resorts International owns Borgata. The casino is located at the northwest corner of Huron Avenue and Brigantine Boulevard. It is one of three AC casinos in the Atlantic City Marina District.

Online casinos

• BetMGM
• Scores Casino

Online Poker

• Borgata Poker

Online Sportsbooks

• Borgata Sports

Caesars

CaesarsAtlantic City opened in 1979 as the Boardwalk Regency. At the time, it was only the second legal casino in Atlantic City.

Since then, its name has changed twice, going from the Boardwalk Regency to the Caesars Boardwalk Regency before settling on its current appellation.

The casino is located at the southwest corner of Pacific and Arkansas avenues. It is also on the Boardwalk and adjoins its sister property, Bally’s.

NJ gambling sites connected to Caesars are nested under the Bally’s online gambling license. However, one site carries Caesars’ name: Caesars Casino & Sports (online sportsbook and casino).

Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget name in Atlantic City is somewhat unusual in the sense that it has applied to different casinos over time. The first incarnation was on the Boardwalk and ended its life at Atlantic Club Casino Hotel when it closed in 2013.

The current version, properly known as Golden Nugget Atlantic City, is in the Marina District. It grew out of the former Trump Marina.

Landry’s, the parent company of Golden Nugget, applied the name to the former Trump property after its purchase in 2011. Landry’s also spent $150 million to renovate the facility into its present condition.

Golden Nugget Atlantic City is located at the eastern end of Huron Avenue in the Atlantic City Marina District.

While Borgata is the leader of land-based gambling revenue, Golden Nugget and its partners rule NJ online gambling. Monthly revenue for Golden Nugget is often double that of its closest competitor.

Online casinos

• Golden Nugget

Online Sportsbooks

Hard Rock

Hard Rock Atlantic City is a brand-new property. It opened its doors on June 28, 2018.

The casino hotel occupies the former Trump Taj Mahal. The Seminole Tribeof Florida bought the defunct property in 2017.

After its purchase, Hard Rock spent $500 million renovating the entire property. The new ownership erased any vestiges of its India-themed predecessor.

Hard Rock is located on Pacific Avenue and straddles Virginia Avenue. The property backs up to the Boardwalk.

Online Casinos

• Hard Rock online
• Bet365 Casino

Online Sportsbooks

• Hard Rock Sports

Harrah’s

Harrah’s Atlantic City was the first AC casino built away from the Boardwalk. The fact that the property has endured for all these years is a testament to Harrah’s management.

Harrah’s is home to five different hotel towers — Atrium, Bayview, Harbor, Marina, and Waterfront. The most recent, Waterfront, was completed in 2008. However, Harrah’s renovated the Bayview Tower in 2017.

Harrah’s Atlantic City is located northwest of Brigantine Boulevard just before it crosses the Absecon Inlet. It is in the Atlantic City Marina District.

Like its sister casinos (Caesars and Bally’s), Harrah’s shares its online gambling license. But it does have an online casino with its name on it.

Ocean Casino

Ocean Resort Casino opened its doors on June 28, 2018. The new casino is a renovated version of the defunct Revel, which closed after two years of operation.

Unlike its predecessor, Ocean Resort emphasizes the customer experience for mid-level bettors and visitors. The resort boasts a TopGolfSwing Suite facility, a Wahlburgers, six pools, and a state-of-the-art NJ sports betting facility.

However, in January 2019, just seven months after opening, the casino changed hands again. Former owner Bruce Deifik turned over ownership to Luxor Capital Group.

The rebranded Ocean Casino is located at the southwest corner of Oriental and Metropolitan avenues. It is on the Boardwalk, and management has removed the wall that used to separate the property from the famous walkway.

Online casinos

• Parx Casino NJ

Online Sportsbooks

Resorts Atlantic City

Resorts Atlantic City is a property with an unmistakable claim to fame. It was the very first casino built in Atlantic City.

On May 26, 1978, Resorts opened its doors and became the first legal casino in the United States outside of Nevada. It was the only casino outside Nevada until Bally’s opened the following year.

Still, Resorts has kept chugging along while other properties have fallen by the wayside. It added a new hotel tower in 2004 and nearly doubled its number of available rooms.

In 2011, the hotel and casino underwent a major renovation and adopted a Roaring Twenties theme. The buildings, personnel, and culinary offerings changed to recall the time period.

Resorts Atlantic City is one of the smaller casino properties on the Boardwalk. It is located between North Carolina and Pennsylvania avenues, next door to the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

For online gambling, Resorts has picked a full slate of partnerships with recognizable names. As such, its online market share has improved considerably over the years.

Online Casinos

• Resorts Casino
• PokerStars Casino

Online Poker

Online Sportsbooks

Tropicana

The Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City is one of the older properties in America’s Playground. It opened its doors in 1981 as the Tropicana Atlantic City.

Since then, the property has undergone several facelifts and name changes. In 1988, it opened an entertainment area called Tivoli Pier and changed its name to Tropworld Casino and Entertainment Resort.

Eight years later, Tivoli Pier closed, and management renovated the entire property and changed the name to its current label. In 2004, the property renovated further, creating a Cuban-themed shopping mall called The Quarter at Tropicana. It also owns the Chelsea Hotel next door.

The Trop was recently sold along with a few other properties to ElDorado Resorts and Gaming and Leisure Properties. Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City is located at the southeast corner of Pacific and South Brighton avenues.

Online casinos

• Tropicana Casino

Borgata

Online Sportsbooks

• William Hill NJ (shares its license with Ocean Casino)

Repurposed casinos

The Showboat

The Showboat opened its doors as the Showboat Casino, Hotel, and Bowling Center in March 1987. In 1995, the property renovated to use a Mardi Gras theme.

In 1998, Showboat became part of the Caesars Entertainment portfolio. The property built two additional towers in 2003 and 2004, but alas, the property shut its doors in 2014.

After changing hands twice, Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein reopened the Showboat in July 2016. However, the new version of the property had no casino.

The future for the non-gaming hotel actually looks bright. The hotel recently opened a slew of new and renovated attractions.

Showboat will benefit from its unique location. The hotel is sandwiched between the two newest Atlantic City casinos — Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Atlantic City.

Showboat may find lasting success as an overflow location or backup options for these properties. The property is located at the southwest corner of Pacific and Delaware avenues.

Closed casinos

The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel

The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel closed its doors on Jan. 13, 2014. The shutdown concluded 34 years of operation for the property at the corner of Providence and Pacific avenues.

The Atlantic Club, which opened in 1980, was the city’s first Golden Nugget. Owner Steve Wynn ultimately sold the property seven years later to Bally Manufacturing, which renamed it to Bally’s Grand Hotel and Casino.

Financial woes led to multiple changes of ownership and multiple names. At various times, the property operated as the Atlantic City Hilton, the ACH, and finally, the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel.

Its current owner is TJM Properties. Despite plans to reopen the hotel, first as a nongaming facility, then as a waterpark, the property remains empty and dormant.

Trump Plaza

Trump Plaza opened its doors in 1984 as a joint venture between Harrah’s and Donald Trump before he was elected president. The property originally had 614 rooms and a 60,000-square-foot casino.

Trump then opened Trump Castle, and his business partner claimed a conflict of interest. So, Trump bought Harrah’s interest in the property and changed the name to its final incarnation.

After 30 years of operation and a bankruptcy, Trump Plaza closed its doors in 2014. The property sits dark to this day.

For Atlantic City casinos, forced to close March 16 until further notice due to the coronavirus, further notice has come.

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that Atlantic City’s nine casinos can reopen to gamblers on July 2 with 25% capacity limits.

On the same day, spectators can place live wagers at horse-racing facilities. This comes just in time for Monmouth Park’s July 3 delayed live-meet opening.

Atlantic City casinos prep for reopening

The ability to open before the holiday weekend and take live bets has been considered crucial for the track’s ability to survive.

Casinos, meanwhile, are planning their re-emergence from a 107-day COVID-19 shutdown, which crippled second-quarter financial results.

Thousands of layoffs and millions of dollars in lost revenue have occurred during this period, although NJ online gaming revenues have increased.

The state has lost close to $20 million in direct tax revenue, according to industry estimates. Thankfully, that’s about to change.

“Thousands of New Jerseyans can now get back to work,” Murphy said on Monday. He added that the casino industry’s offer to partner with the state to assist with contact-tracing data impacted the decision to reopen.

Some casinos may only open for “friends, family and loyal customers” on July 2 to test the new protocols, Murphy said.

Borgata Atlantic City confirmed via a press release on Tuesday that it would not open to the public until July 6.

Indoor dining limits at statewide restaurants will also be 25% capacity, Murphy indicated, but he was optimistic that those percentages would increase before long. The percentage extends to casino restaurants.

Health guidelines at AC casinos will be strictly enforced

Although health-related protocols are not finalized, Murphy told casino visitors to expect mandatory health screening, mask wearing and density limits inside.

He said the measures will be strictly enforced.

“I hate to even say this, but if any visitor refuses to comply with these simple safeguards, the person will be escorted out of the casino. We are not going to tolerate any knuckleheads for the people who are enjoying themselves responsibly and for the people who need to get back to work.”

Atlantic City casino executives and some area mayors have spoken regularly with Murphy over the last couple of months. They have offered safety measures designed to help restart business and gaming operations.

Regarding contact tracing, for example, casino players are rated. Properties have databases that can provide information on a majority of their players to state officials.

Based on the pace of announcements, the casino industry appears to be leading the enhanced health effort rather than reacting to regulations.

Murphy cited the partnership between gaming and state officials Monday, saying that “the conversations with our friends in the casino industry will continue.”

Hard Rock AC, other casinos release safety plans early

Casinos in Atlantic City have been slowly releasing safety procedures since May.

Borgata and its parent company MGM announced a seven-point safety plan, and Resorts is installing air purifiers throughout its property.

Hard Rock Atlantic City released some of its mandatory policies ahead of Monday’s announcement. They include:

• Mandated masks (guests and team members)
• Temperature checks (guests and team members)
• A new Safe + Sound Clean Team
• Increased quality of air circulation
• AtlantiCare partnership focused on contact tracing, training, telehealth and more

“We’re delighted to get the reopening date,” said Joe Lupo, president of the Hard Rock casino.

“We thank the governor that we’ll be able to be open for the July Fourth weekend to meet the demand on the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk.”

Late Monday afternoon, Ocean Casino Resort sent a media advisory regarding its iconic rooftop ball. It will be utilized as a countdown starting Monday at dusk and running through July 1.

This means July 2 is New Year’s Day number 2 in 2020.

Counting down the days on our beacon of light! How excited are you for our reopening on July 2nd?⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6csvzWWX0L

— Ocean Casino Resort (@TheOceanAC) June 23, 2020

Up and down the Boardwalk, casino receptionists enthusiastically greeted callers, providing more general information than normal in response to inquiries.

There is a sense of rebirth similar to the opening of a casino property.

Online Gambling Caesars

Reading between the lines

Given Murphy’s hope for dining capacity to increase and the conversations casino officials have had with him, it’s reasonable to believe the operational capacity will expand sooner rather than later.

But Murphy maintained a cautious approach Monday, reminding people “to use common sense for the common good.”

He noted that New Jersey’s social distancing measures, forcing the shutdown of the industry and Garden State businesses, had been worthwhile.

“We had the pain of discipline, not the pain of regret,” Murphy said.

Two significant pieces of data drove the reopening announcement, Murphy said.

New Jersey’s positive test rate for COVID-19 was 2.42%, a number that had been “at least five or six times higher” in recent months.

The new spread rate is 0.76%, he said. That means for every positive test, there is fewer than one new case.

But Murphy also said people may be letting their guard down too much and should maintain social distancing protocols.

‘The middle part of the second phase’

Caesars Atlantic City

On Monday, New Jersey pools, barbershops, salons and tattoo parlors reopened with COVID-19 restrictions. Murphy called Monday the middle part of the second phase of reopening from coronavirus closures.

Online Gambling

As expected on Monday, the restriction on outdoor gatherings increased to 250 people, and indoor gatherings are now capped at 100 or 25% capacity.

Caesars Hotel Atlantic City

It’s uncertain how casinos will vary their use of 25%. Rooms, for example, are not likely going to be 100% available for reservations.

It’s also not known how restaurants on casino grounds that are not owned by the casino count toward its percentage of space.

Gaming officials hope that won’t be a consideration for too long and that the next “further notice” will signal expanded operations.