Borgata resort to open in time for holiday weekend

John Curran

Friday, June 20, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY -- The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa will open July 3, in time for the three-day Independence Day weekend, its owners announced Thursday.

The $1 billion casino, under construction for nearly three years, will be the first new one in Atlantic City in 13 years, since Trump Taj Mahal began taking bets in 1990.

The 2,002-room casino hotel, located in the city's marina district, is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM MIRAGE, two Las Vegas-based casino operators eager to get in on the East Coast casino market.

"We are very excited about our opening and look forward to sharing the Borgata experience beginning July 3," said William S. Boyd, chairman and CEO of Boyd Gaming.

The opening date had been a well-kept secret, with Boyd Gaming and Borgata officials refusing to give one publicly, instead insisting -- as recently as last week -- that it would open when ready, sometime before July 1 and July 11.

No time for the opening was announced and no details were given about ceremonies. Boyd Gaming announced the opening date in a news release and Borgata's CEO, Robert Boughner, was not talking to reporters, according to spokesman Michael Facenda.

"We've decided that's news enough," Facenda said, alluding to the announcement of the opening date.

Casino operators and employees here had been awaiting word on the opening, widely anticipated to be in time for the July 4 holiday because holiday weekends are traditionally the most lucrative of the year for Atlantic City casinos.

The casino, Atlantic City's 12th, is expected to shake up the city's $4.3 billion casino market, drawing waves of curious gamblers who normally play in the other casinos.

"For the first several months, it'll hurt everybody to some degree," said Dennis Gomes, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey. "In the long run, it'll just add to the overall industry and bring more people to Atlantic City. Everyone goes to see new places and try them, but they get back to where they like to go."