Borgata’s No-Children Policy

July 6, 2003 8:37 PM

No kids in the casino A stunning new casino opened recently in Atlantic City, filled with fancy restaurants and other relaxations for adults, but if you're in A.C. with the kids and aren't staying at the big B, don't bother bringing them. The friendly guards will be turning you away at the door.
posted by billsaysthis (16 comments total)

Thought about adding this to the KC Movie thread but decided it was different enough, plus needed to purge my pent-up urges.
posted by billsaysthis at 8:39 PM on July 6, 2003

I applaud them for this move. Let's face it folks: casino's are not for kids. I've never quite figured out parents that insist on bringing their kids to a casino. And, as the article points out, this is hardly the first. The Bellagio in Vegas doesn't permit kids either. (I very definitely remember the signs when I was last there).

(Having been a kid taken to Vegas a long time ago, I also remember that quite frankly, it's not much fun for the kid either. I mean, other than a place like Circus Circus, there's just a limit to what kids can do. And the damn pools close early too (something that I find frustrating even as an adult)).
posted by piper28 at 8:53 PM on July 6, 2003

Yeah, I don't frankly see the big deal here. I mean, casinos shouldn't allow kids, that should be the rule, not the exception...
posted by jonson at 9:13 PM on July 6, 2003

except the "no kids" rule doesn't jibe with the theme-park atmosphere Atlantic City and Las Vegas have worked so hard to promote. Agreed, kids shouldn't be gambling, but what are they supposed to do while Mom and Dad bet away the mortgage?
posted by crunchland at 10:52 PM on July 6, 2003

You have to be 18 to be in a casino in Minnesota. I would guess it's part of the compact between the state and the various tribes.
posted by gimonca at 9:25 AM on July 7, 2003

No doubt they want to prevent filthy, ragged, malnourished children from doing renditions of this for their glassy-eyed parents at the craps table.
posted by jfuller at 9:28 AM on July 7, 2003

There are lots of kids in Vegas casinos (to go to the restaurants, cinemas, video game arcades, swimming pools, the KidsQuest babysitting facilities (think McDonald's playlands), etc.). I have yet to see one spontaneously combust from sin-exposure.
posted by rushmc at 9:33 AM on July 7, 2003

rushmc - this isn't just to "protect" the kids -- many people probably enjoy child-free environments when they go out for entertainment
posted by yesster at 9:39 AM on July 7, 2003

except the "no kids" rule doesn't jibe with the theme-park atmosphere Atlantic City and Las Vegas have worked so hard to promote.

From what I understand this strategy is now acknowledged to have been somewhat of a failure. Sure, lots of families came to Vegas with their kids, but the presence of the kids apparently drove away a lot of very profitable gamblers. Wouldn't be surprised to see a shift back toward the old sin city image.
posted by kindall at 9:44 AM on July 7, 2003

except the "no kids" rule doesn't jibe with the theme-park atmosphere Atlantic City and Las Vegas have worked so hard to promote.

I'm not sure about AC, but Vegas recently has swung the pendulum back the other way, advertising more the adult playground factor than kids playground. Heck, even Treasure Island's pirate show is going adult.

I'm not arguing that there are some things kids can do in a place like Vegas, but with the exception of a few properties, these places are far more adult oriented. And there is absolutely no reason a kid should be wandering around the gaming floor (except for those hotels that you have to trek through the casino to get to the room).
posted by piper28 at 9:48 AM on July 7, 2003

The local casino here in Cape Town is a big draw for families mainly due to the fact that it's the only decent cinema in the immediate area and has a really nice ice rink which is packed with teenagers on a Saturday night. They're pretty good about keeping kids off the gaming (gaming, never gambling) floor.
posted by PenDevil at 9:54 AM on July 7, 2003

I have yet to see one spontaneously combust from sin-exposure.

Ahem.
posted by tyro urge at 11:21 AM on July 7, 2003

So you're suggesting that occurred because they were in a casino, tyro urge?
posted by rushmc at 3:12 PM on July 7, 2003

There is a residential development here that, while not outright banning children from living there, makes it clear that they are not very welcome. Some people just want a bit of peace from the noise of kids and why not? I am sure that most, if not all, parents are at least a little bit jealous of those who get to choose whether they have the company of children at any given time.

kids shouldn't be gambling, but what are they supposed to do while Mom and Dad bet away the mortgage?
Waiting outside in the car, of course. With the doors locked and the windows up, preferably.
posted by dg at 4:00 PM on July 7, 2003

well no shit. all casinos should follow suit as should the entire city.
posted by Satapher at 4:01 PM on July 7, 2003

Not because of the casino, no-- Iverson seems like quite the unfit parent-- but I wouldn't say that it's an ideal family vacation spot either. Kids can't gamble; at best the other facilities serve as a babysitting work-around. At worst... well, we've seen the worst. Casinos aren't for children. Why invite them?

"Their ads say to leave the kids at home," Lanard said. "I didn't think we were to take this literally."

?!
posted by tyro urge at 4:16 PM on July 7, 2003