Resorts World set to launch New York City’s first live table gaming floor next week

Resorts World in Queens will open next Tuesday, April 28, New York City’s first-ever live table game, pending the New York Gaming Commission's final testing this week. The move expands the offerings of a property that has until now operated only slot machines at the facility next to Aqueduct Racetrack.

The opening comes after the Genting-owned company secured one of three state casino licenses awarded in December. Because the Queens facility is already in place, Resorts World was positioned to move into live table gaming within months, while the other two license holders still face years of construction before their projects can open.

The reimagined third floor with over 240 table games will offer visitors blackjack, craps, baccarat, and roulette, and "thousands of slot machines" with various multi-million dollar jackpots, the casino confirmed on Tuesday.

New dealers completed orientation this week

Robert DeSalvio, President of Genting Americas East, said: "New York City has never seen anything like what we're planning for April 28. 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. We are ready to welcome New Yorkers to this exciting new experience. 

"Resorts World now employs over 2,200 team members and has already doubled our workforce, and expects thousands more team members as the integrated resort is developed over the next three years. This is a transformational moment for Resorts World New York City, and we cannot wait to share it with our fellow New Yorkers."

The opening ceremony will feature Queens-born rapper Nas, Genting Chairman KT Lim, elected officials, and community leaders, with Nas taking part in the ribbon-cutting and ceremonial first dice throw.

The launch marks the culmination of hiring and training efforts that resulted in 1,250 new jobs, including 950 new table-game dealers, most of whom completed orientation over several days this week. All in, the facility now employs 2,200 people and is slated to grow to over 2,700 people by Summer.

That workforce pipeline is also backed by Resorts World NYC's Introduction to Gaming workforce development program, which began in 2022 and has now helped train more than 350 local residents in gaming operations. Additionally, the Resorts World Dealer School has already trained and hired over 400 local residents at the Queens property, and another 500 graduates are expected by May.

Once the casino project is completed, Resorts World is expected to have 6,000 slot machines and 800 live table games, bringing the total number of gaming positions to 10,800. The wider development plan also includes 2,000 hotel rooms, compared with the 400 existing units at its Hyatt Regency, as well as a 7,000-seat multipurpose concert hall.

Other planned additions include more than 12 acres of public green space, a full-day spa, and an innovation campus anchored by the sports Jet Center named after Queens basketball figure Kenny “The Jet” Smith. Resorts World has operated as a slots parlor since 2011 and has generated $5 billion in tax revenue for the state education system.

The other two license recipients are pursuing separate projects elsewhere in the city. One is Metropolitan Park, backed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock, which is planned near Citi Field in Flushing. The other is Bally’s, which plans to build a casino at Ferry Point near the Whitestone Bridge on the site of President Trump’s former golf course, a transaction expected to bring the Trump Organization $115 million.