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Resorts World in Queens will next Tuesday open what will be New York City’s first full casino operation with live table games, according to the New York Post. The move expands the offerings of a property that has until now operated only slot machines at the Aqueduct racetrack site.
The opening comes after the Genting-owned company secured one of three state casino licenses awarded in December. Because the Queens facility is already in place, Resorts World was positioned to move into live table gaming within months, while the other two license holders still face years of construction before their projects can open.
The will now be able to offer 200 live table games on its renovated third floor, including blackjack, craps, baccarat, and roulette. The opening ceremony is expected to feature Queens-born rapper Nas, Genting Chairman KT Lim, elected officials, and community leaders, with Nas taking part in the ribbon-cutting and ceremonial first dice throw.
The expansion is also increasing staffing. Resorts World said it is adding 1,250 jobs, including 950 table-game dealers, most of whom completed training over the past week. The property currently employs 2,200 people and expects that number to exceed 2,700 by the summer.
Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said: “Once final testing is complete, live table games will be open and operating right here in Queens for the first time in the history of New York City. We are ready to welcome New Yorkers to this exciting new experience.”
Once the casino project is completed, Resorts World is expected to have 6,000 slot machines and 800 live table games, bringing the total number of gaming positions to 10,800. The wider development plan also includes 2,000 hotel rooms, compared with the 400 existing units at its Hyatt Regency, as well as a 7,000-seat multipurpose concert hall.
Other planned additions include more than 12 acres of public green space, a full-day spa, and an innovation campus anchored by the sports Jet Center named after Queens basketball figure Kenny “The Jet” Smith. Resorts World has operated as a slots parlor since 2011 and has generated $5 billion in tax revenue for the state education system.
The other two license recipients are pursuing separate projects elsewhere in the city. One is Metropolitan Park, backed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock, which is planned near Citi Field in Flushing. The other is Bally’s, which plans to build a casino at Ferry Point near the Whitestone Bridge on the site of President Trump’s former golf course, a transaction expected to bring the Trump Organization $115 million.