New York City land-based gambling will be changing forever on April 28. Resorts World New York City will officially open the first ever live table games in Big Apple history. The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) is conducting final testing this week.
Resorts World is adding over 240 table games, including blackjack, roulette, craps, and baccarat. It’s a massive expansion that has already doubled the property’s number of employees to over 2,200.
Robert DeSalvio, President of Genting Americas East, is hyping up the historic day by saying “New York City has never seen anything like what we’re planning for April 28.”
In terms of why Resorts World is adding live table games now, the answer is simple. In December, Resorts World was one of three operators to get the green light to move forward with a full-scale downstate casino. Hard Rock Metropolitan Park in Queens and Bally’s Ferry Point in the Bronx are the other two projects.
Hard Rock and Bally’s are both new construction projects while Resorts World is the expansion of an existing property located next to Aqueduct Racetrack. Located in Queens, the land-based casino has been open since 2011.
The casino floor expansion is the first phase of a much larger expansion project that will also include:
Resorts World has big things planned for next week’s live table games launch day. The festivities will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and ceremonial throw of the first dice. Gentling Chairman KT Lim, hip-hop legend NAS along with elected officials, community leaders, and other entertainers are expected to attend.
“Once the Gaming Commission’s final testing is complete, live table games will be open and operating right here in Queens for the first time in the history of New York City,” DeSalvio said. “We are ready to welcome New Yorkers to this exciting new experience. This is a transformational moment for Resorts World New York City, and we cannot wait to share it with our fellow New Yorkers.”
The Empire State’s iGaming market is not launching anytime soon due to the fact that state lawmakers have yet to pass the necessary legislation.
Earlier this year, Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (D-15) once again introduced Senate Bill 2164. The proposal, which would legalize iGaming in New York, includes setting the iGaming tax rate at 30.5% of gross gaming revenue.
For now, New Yorkers remain in a wait-and-see mode regarding the potential legalization of real-money casinos. It’s an industry that has been live in neighboring New Jersey since 2013. In 2025 alone, the Garden State’s iGaming market online casinos generated over a half-billion in annual tax revenue.
