New York City has its first full-service casino after Resorts World New York City opened more than 240 live table games at its Queens facility on April 28, marking a historic milestone for the city’s hospitality and entertainment landscape.
The launch, which came ahead of its originally planned June date, ends decades during which New Yorkers had to cross state lines to New Jersey or Connecticut for a live casino experience.
Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of Genting Group, the Malaysian company that owns and operates Resorts World, cast the ceremonial first dice at the opening alongside Queens-born rapper Nas, an investor and partner in the project, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said: “Live table gaming is officially open in New York City for the first time ever. With our planned $5.5 billion expansion, this is only the beginning of something much bigger for Resorts World and for New York.”
The new gaming floor occupies the reimagined third floor of the existing facility, located adjacent to the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park and a few miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport. It features blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette tables operated by live dealers, alongside more than 2,500 slot machines. Resorts World has operated a slots-only racino at the site since 2011, becoming one of the most profitable facilities of its kind in the world, but the addition of live table games transforms it into a full commercial casino for the first time.
The New York State Gaming Commission granted final approval for Resorts World’s commercial casino licence on December 15, 2025, following a competitive process in which the Genting-owned property beat out proposals from Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts. The venue doubled its workforce to mark the occasion, with DeSalvio confirming the casino now employs more than 2,200 people, including 950 newly trained table game dealers. A further 500 hires are expected by summer.
Tuesday’s opening represents only the first phase of a far more ambitious development. Genting has committed to a $5.5 billion expansion of the 72-acre Aqueduct site that will eventually include up to 800 live table games, 6,000 slot machines, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, new hotel towers bringing total capacity to 2,000 guest rooms, more than 30 dining options, a spa and more than 12 acres of public green space. The full buildout is projected for completion around 2030 to 2031.
Resorts World is one of three operators awarded a downstate commercial casino licence by New York State, alongside Hard Rock’s Metropolitan Park project near Citi Field in Queens, backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen at an estimated cost of $8.1 billion, and Bally’s planned $4 billion development at Ferry Point in the Bronx. Both of those projects are ground-up constructions with opening timelines around 2030, giving Resorts World an exclusive window as the only full-service casino in New York City for at least four years. Industry analysts project the three casinos could together generate between $4.7 billion and $5.6 billion in annual gross gaming revenue once fully operational, making New York City the second-largest casino market in the United States behind Las Vegas.
