Foreigner gambling in Atlantic City? Must bring passport

A friend was telling me last night that her French boyfriend, who lives in New York, got kicked out of the Borgata, a casino in Atlantic City. He wasn’t even gambling; he was just there with her. The reason? He didn’t bring his passport and his French driver’s license was not a sufficient form of ID. Only passports or IDs from the US are accepted.

That is so stupid. It is so easy to get a New York ID. You don’t even have to live in New York to get one. Why wouldn’t they accept a foreign ID? It’s not like we are talking about using it to get into the Pentagon. It is a casino.

Needless to say, he was not happy. They stayed in a $500/night suite at the Borgata, which apparently didn’t help them. Of course, to book that room, they didn’t need a passport. I don’t think they’ll be going back anytime soon. This is how the French boyfriend described Atlantic City: “You step outside the hotel and it’s like a third world country.” Couldn’t say it better myself.