NYC's First Full-Scale Casino Opens Next Week
- A full-scale casino in Queens is scheduled to open next week with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting. - Queens native and rapper Nas will attend the ribbon cutting and ceremonial dice throw. - The opening marks a major new gaming and entertainment venue expected to boost local economy (patch.com).
New York City is about to get its first full commercial casino, with live table games scheduled to debut at Resorts World New York City in Queens next week. (rwnewyork.com) The site at Aqueduct Racetrack has operated since 2011 as a video lottery terminal facility, which means slots-like machines and electronic table games linked to a state system, not a full casino with live dealers. The New York State Gaming Commission lists Resorts World’s Queens property as a newly licensed commercial casino after the commission vote on December 15, 2025. (gaming.ny.gov 1) (gaming.ny.gov 2) Resorts World said after that approval that it planned to have “hundreds of table games” open by the end of March 2026. Its current casino pages say renovations are underway while existing gaming continues on the floor. (rwnewyork.com 1) (rwnewyork.com 2) The change is part of New York’s downstate casino rollout, which added three city licenses in December: Resorts World in Queens, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park in Willets Point, and Bally’s in the Bronx. The Gaming Commission says Resorts World’s tax revenue will be split between education aid and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority under a special formula for the Queens site. (patch.com) (gaming.ny.gov) Resorts World has pitched the Queens conversion as the first phase of a much larger buildout on its 72-acre Aqueduct site. Company materials describe a broader $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion plan with 6,000 slot machines, 800 live table games, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, more than 7,000 parking spaces, and at least 12 acres of public green space. (rwnewyork.com) (rwnewyork.com) The company has also tied the project to jobs. Resorts World said the first phase alone would require hiring and training up to 2,000 employees, and its broader campaign says the full commercial-casino conversion could produce billions in state revenue within four years. (rwnewyork.com) (rwnewyork.com) Nas, who grew up in Queensbridge, has already been part of Resorts World’s public push for the expansion. In company materials, he backed the plan as a way to bring jobs and investment to Queens, and Resorts World has used his hometown connection in its campaign around the Aqueduct redevelopment. (rwnewyork.com) (rwnewyork.com) The opening next week closes a long gap between Resorts World’s 2011 launch as a racino and its 2025 state license as a full commercial casino. For now, the immediate change for gamblers is simple: Queens is moving from electronic tables to live dealers. (gaming.ny.gov) (gaming.ny.gov)
