Resorts World New York City is opening its doors Tuesday as the Big Apple’s first table games casino.
The Queens casino at the Aqueduct Race Track is a multi-billion-dollar expansion of the property’s existing casino. It will have more than 240 table games, including blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette.
“Resorts World now employs over 2,200 Team Members and have already doubled our workforce and expect thousands more Team Members as the integrated resort is developed over the next three years,” said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East. “This is a transformational moment for Resorts World New York City, and we cannot wait to share it with our fellow New Yorkers.”
Rapper Nas will also be at the grand opening with other elected officials, community leaders and entertainers. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and ceremonial throw of the first dice.
Brian O’Dwyer, the chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission, previously said the casino will create hundreds of new jobs.
“We have three new casinos. Hundreds, if not thousands, of good union jobs coming into the communities,” he said. “It’s going to be really transformational for those communities.”
The table games are part of phase one. The $5 billion expansion project includes adding an additional hotel wing, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, an indoor dayclub with pools, a spa and much more.
Opponents cited pollution and other environmental concerns. Some believe the casinos will do more harm than good.
The proposals for three casinos across the New York area were approved in December.
The two other casinos are Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park in Queens and Bally’s Bronx. They are expected to open in 2030.