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Atlantic City Casinos Invite Players For A Big Thanksgiving Feast Despite Pandemic

Article by : Helen Dec 8, 2020

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Updated: Apr 6, 2023

While news tickers are filled up with COVID-19 related news, and experts are claiming that all public gatherings should be canceled during Thanksgiving due to the coronavirus risks, there is at least one place in the United States where all those warnings are fully ignored. Atlantic City is inviting all casino enthusiasts to the local gambling venues, as these will happily accept visitors during the holiday. There are many scheduled events for the holiday already, which looks a bit out of the ordinary these days. Anyway, some precautions will be taken so that players shouldn’t expect to find a smorgasbord in the properties’ restaurants.

Land-based casinos in most states have already closed their doors, and some of them will close this week because of the coronavirus-related concerns and considerable growth of positive cases. New Jersey is also one of the states that are experiencing the increase, but it hasn’t stopped it from allowing casino fans to gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

Phil Murphy, the state’s governor, doesn’t believe that shutting down the local gambling venues is the right way to reverse the number of positive cases.

As strange as it may seem nowadays, his points on keeping the gambling properties opened make pretty much sense. According to the official statistics, rank 44 on the list of places with the highest risk of getting infected by COVID-19. Therefore, by keeping the gambling properties opened during the holiday, the governor gives people a relatively safe place to visit and potentially stops them from taking part in some large scale events where the coronavirus’s spread is a true problem. Not to mention, the casinos are adhering to all precautionary measures, which helps them to take the virus spread under control.

Phil Murphy is sure that the management of the Atlantic City properties can ensure a safe gambling environment for all those who want to play casino games in-house. Murphy also adds that there is no evidence of the casinos’ management being irresponsible, as well as no evidence of the casinos being responsible for the coronavirus outbreaks.

One more incentive for Murphy to keep the local gambling venues opened is a fragile local economy. The gambling industry has been negatively impacted by the summer lockdowns, which especially applies to those states that strongly rely on gambling revenues. The Atlantic City casinos had hard times as well, as they were closed between March 18 and July 2. Luckily, New Jersey is one of several US states where online gambling is legalized so that the land-based casinos’ losses are slightly offset by online gambling activities.

While it’s obvious that the casino restaurants won’t serve turkeys this time, it’s still not clear whether BYOT (Bring Your Own Turkey) will be allowed or not. Phil Murphy has already restricted indoor dining and serving alcohol at bars and restaurants between 10 PM and 5 AM.

Gambling venues in the neighboring cities are not as lucky as Atlantic City’s ones. Rivers Casino in Philadelphia has recently closed its door and will remain in the dark till the end of the year. The local authorities passed the decision. Detroit gambling properties are also closed, and the New York casinos are operating according to a limited schedule. Illinois casinos are closed for Thanksgiving as well. Anyway, true casino enthusiasts can book a flight to Atlantic City and enjoy playing their favorite casino games during the holiday.