Resorts World NYC to open 200 live table games April 28

Resorts World New York City will begin operating about 200 live table games on April 28 at the Aqueduct Racetrack complex in Queens, expanding the property from a slots-only racino into a full-scale casino.

The initial games will include blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette. The operator expects to add about 1,250 jobs at launch, including roughly 950 dealers, bringing the facility’s workforce to about 2,200 with plans to exceed 2,700 by summer.

Resorts World received one of three downstate casino licenses in December 2025. The other two licensees are developing new sites with target openings around 2030; Resorts World’s existing facility gives it a multi-year head start over those projects.

The April 28 opening is the first phase of a build-out targeted for completion by 2030. The full project is projected to cost about $5.5 billion and, when finished, would include up to 800 live table games, roughly 6,000 slot machines, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, more than 7,000 parking spaces, over 30 dining outlets and more than a dozen acres of community greenspace.

As part of the licensing requirements, Resorts World agreed to a $600 million license fee and has committed to pay $2.5 billion to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over the next four years through licensing fees and taxes. The racino has contributed an estimated $5 billion to New York State education funds since it opened in 2011.

Industry analyses project regional gross gaming revenue between about $4.7 billion and $6.5 billion by 2031, which would place New York City behind Las Vegas as the country’s largest gaming market.

Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, stated, “New York City has never seen anything like what we’re planning for April 28.” He added, “We are proud to be creating more than a thousand new jobs while taking a major step forward for this property.”