Full Breakdown
Resorts World New York City Opens as NYC’s First Full-Scale Casino with Live Table Games
5/1/2026, 2:17:33 PM
Opening of NYC’s First Full-Scale Casino
On April 28 2026, Resorts World New York City in South Ozone Park, Queens, opened a three-floor casino with live blackjack, craps, baccarat, roulette and over 2,500 slots. Rapper-partner Nas rolled the first dice.
Background
The Aqueduct Racetrack ran a VLT racino from 2011. A 2013 amendment allowed full casinos, resulting in three 2025 permits: Genting’s Resorts World, Bally’s Bronx, and Steve Cohen’s Hard Rock near Citi Field. Key figures: Robert DeSalvio, Kevin Jones, Donovan Richards, Joseph Addabbo Jr., and Michelle Stoddart.
Economic Scale and Impact
Resorts World offers 242 live tables and 2,500 slots, creating 1,250 jobs—950 dealers. Phase 2 adds a 7,000-seat venue, a 2,000-room hotel and 12 acres of space. A $500 million license fee should generate hundreds of millions for the MTA; a 63 % slot tax and 30 % table-game tax could yield $7 billion in state revenue over ten years. A $2 billion community package includes up to 50,000 workforce-housing units and $100 million for infrastructure.
Official Responses
Resorts World said the opening “contributes to the state’s economy, supports jobs and gives back to New Yorkers,” noting the $5.5 billion expansion. State officials said the $500 million license fee will fund the MTA. Gaming Commission confirmed testing approval and authorized live tables.
Criticism and Community Concerns
Community groups warn the casino may raise problem-gambling rates in Queens and the Bronx, and could increase crime, traffic and environmental impacts near the racetrack and JFK Airport.
Visitor Experiences
Visitors included nurse Chiree Gilliam, who broke even at craps, and baccarat player Shou Ray Liang, who arrived with $20,000.
Conflicting Figures
Sources differ on live tables (240 vs. 242) and slot machines (2,500 vs. 2,507). Estimates range from “hundreds of millions” for the MTA to a $7 billion ten-year projection.
Future Outlook
Phase 2 targets 2031 for a 7,000-seat venue, a 2,000-room hotel and green space. Bally’s Bronx Casino and Steve Cohen’s Hard Rock Metropolitan Park aim to open around 2030.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Once the Gaming Commission’s final testing is complete, live table games will be open and operating right here in Queens for the first time in the history of NYC. We are ready to welcome New Yorkers to this exciting new experience,” — Robert DeSalvio, President, Genting Americas East
- “I have stood with Resorts World through every step of this process because I believed in the vision and I believed in their promise to Queens, given their 15-year record of delivering,” — Joseph Addabbo Jr., State Senator, Chairman of the State Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering
- “After all the negotiating, the planning, the relationship building and all of the work navigating the license application process, we have finally made it to this day,” — Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President
- “We are changing the landscape of New York forever with a building that will never close,” — Kevin Jones, Chief Strategy Officer, Resorts World New York
- “We believe that what is good for this community is good for this property and is good for this city,” — Michelle Stoddart, Senior Vice President, Community Development, Resorts World
- “I like to gamble. A great steakhouse with parking, here? I like to have a drink. Live music? A great cold drink right here? This is a game-changer, locally. We are the borough to be in now! We are the destination.” — Stacey Pheffer Amato, Assemblywoman
