Atlantic City casinos reopen in a changed pandemic world

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Eager to hit the slot machines and table games after a 108-day absence, gamblers wore face masks and did without smoking and drinking Thursday as Atlantic City's casinos reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic that has drastically changed things both inside and outside the casino walls.

Compliance with a series of anti-virus measures imposed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appeared to be nearly universal, at least in the early going. In 2 1/2 hours on the gambling floor of the Hard Rock casino, an Associated Press reporter did not see a single customer without a face mask. A few wore full face-covering hoods that extended to their chests.

Opening day crowds were small. The casinos are limited to no more than 25% of usual capacity, but that did not appear to be a problem Thursday morning. Patrons for the most part observed social distancing guidelines as well, helped along by plexiglass dividers between seats at card, craps and roulette tables, and slot machines turned off at certain intervals to create distance between players.

“It's great to be back,” said Tony Revaman of Atlantic City, who visited the casinos at least twice a week before they shut down March 16. “Only thing is: you can't smoke. I'm a smoker and I'm trying to find some way around this.”

Others were fine with doing whatever would let them gamble as quickly as possible.

“Accept, adapt and have fun,” said Mike McLaughlin of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. “I'm a gambler; this is what I do.”

“We're ready to hit it up, go big and hit it hard, and bring home cash,” said his friend, Johnny Solis, also of Willow Grove, as he slipped off his sneaker and pulled out a damp wad of $1,000 in cash. “It's time to go spend this.”

Five of the nine casinos — Hard Rock,...