Resorts World New York City opened its live table games floor on April 28, becoming the first full casino in New York City to offer dealer-led table games. The Queens property, next to Aqueduct Racetrack and near JFK Airport, had previously operated as a slot-only venue.
The new floor adds more than 200 live table games, including blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette. The opening marks a major change for the city’s gaming market, where full casino play had previously been limited to upstate New York.
Expansion turns an existing gaming site into a full casino
Resorts World already had a large electronic gaming business before this launch. The live table opening builds on that existing operation, which allowed the company to move into full casino gaming faster than projects that still need to be built from the ground up.
The opening is part of a wider long-term expansion plan at the site. Resorts World has said its broader proposal includes a multibillion-dollar investment with more gaming space, hotel rooms, restaurants, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue and more than 12 acres of public green space.
New jobs and existing infrastructure helped Resorts World move faster
The launch also brings a sizeable employment boost. The expansion created more than 1,200 jobs, including about 950 dealer positions, with the total workforce expected to keep rising.
That quicker rollout was a major part of Resorts World’s case during the licensing process. Because the site already had gaming operations and infrastructure in place, it was able to launch live table games much faster than rival projects in Queens and the Bronx.
Opening comes ahead of larger resort plans at the site
The live table launch is only one part of what Resorts World wants to build in Queens. Its full proposal also includes a 1,600-room hotel tower, expanded meeting space, a large food hall and additional entertainment facilities as part of a wider integrated resort project.
That gives the opening more context. The new gaming floor is an immediate expansion, but it also serves as an early step in a much larger development plan that Resorts World has been pushing as part of New York’s downstate casino process.
