New York City gamblers no longer have to leave town for a live hand of blackjack. Resorts World New York City in Queens on Tuesday became the city's first full-scale commercial casino, adding live table games and dealers to what had been an electronic games-only "racino" parlor next to Aqueduct Racetrack since 2011, the New York Times reports. The new third-floor gambling hall, longer than a football field, now offers blackjack, craps, baccarat, and roulette, along with more than 2,500 slot machines, under a license casino operators had chased for decades.
Crowds poured in after an 11am ribbon-cutting, where Queens-born rapper Nas, a partner in the project, rolled the ceremonial first dice and performed for the opening. Early visitors ranged from casual players like Connecticut nurse Chiree Gilliam, happy to break even at craps, to high rollers like baccarat fan Shou Ray Liang, who arrived with $20,000 to spend. Supporters say the casino will be a jobs engine and a convenience for millions of potential customers who previously trekked to Atlantic City, Connecticut, the Poconos, or the Catskills.
Resorts World says it has added about 1,250 jobs, including 950 table-game dealers, many trained at an on-site dealer school. The company plans to build restaurants, a hotel, and a 7,000-seat entertainment venue at the site near John F. Kennedy International Airport, the AP reports. Critics warn that the economic upside comes with social costs. Opponents cite the risk of increased problem gambling, especially in lower-income and immigrant communities in Queens and the Bronx, arguing the city will absorb the fallout while the state collects tax revenue and licensing fees.
- Resorts World is the first of three newly licensed casinos in the city, but the other two won't open for years. Bally's is slated for Ferry Point in the Bronx and the Hard Rock project proposed by Mets owner Steve Cohen for a site near Citi Field in Queens. Both are expected to open around 2030.
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