Atlantic City casinos to Gov. Murphy: 'We need conventions'

ATLANTIC CITY — November is typically a time of year when the city would be preparing to host two multi-day conventions, bringing with them an influx of thousands of midweek visitors who would stay in hotels, eat and drink at restaurants and bars, patronize local stores and, perhaps, find their way to a craps table or slot machine.

Not this year.

The millions of dollars forfeited in 2020 without the New Jersey Education Association’s and New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ annual conventions — both have resorted to holding virtual events due to the novel coronavirus — are just the tip of the iceberg. As the colder weather approaches and visitation to the city naturally declines, local officials and casino operators are concerned the state’s capacity limits on indoor activities will cause an economic ripple effect that could mean serious trouble for a leisure and hospitality industry — and a region — already struggling under the weight of a global pandemic.

“This is our prime season for conventions and meetings ... (but) we need help,” said Steve Callender, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey and regional president of Caesars Entertainment Inc., which operates four of the city’s nine casinos. “We need meetings and conventions, and an increase to 50% (for indoor dining). We feel pretty passionate that we can do this, and we can do this well.”

State lawmakers, city officials, casino executives and labor union leaders have asked Gov. Phil Murphy to ease the restrictions on indoor gatherings so that meetings, conventions and trade shows can resume and restaurants, bars and entertainment venues can accommodate more patrons. Failure to do this, they warn, could result in significant profit loss, the elimination of even more jobs and a prolonged economic recovery.

Read more: https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/atlantic-city-casinos-to-gov-murphy-we-need-conventions/article_f980f906-4df4-5ca3-a72f-0b8f84b811ca.html