Resorts World NYC is the second New York City casino proposal to get approval from a local advisory committee (CAC) and to progress to the final part of the licensing process for one of three downstate New York casino licenses. The existing slots parlor in Queens received a unanimous 6-0 vote on Thursday and will now be evaluated by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC).
plans to invest about $5.7bn in the project
If Resorts World gets the final go-ahead from the Gaming Facility Location Board, it plans to invest about $5.7bn in the project. It intends to create a 350,000-square-foot property on its current site at Aqueduct Park, which it aims to open by July 2026. The project also includes a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, up to 310 restaurants, and hundreds of live table games.
Rapper Nas is one of the backers of the project, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., took aim at Jay-Z’s failed attempt to bring a casino to Times Square by saying: “There’s a theme in Queens, and I know that Nas was a part of this: Queens get the money. Sorry, Jay-Z, we win again.”
Resorts World joins MGM Empire City in getting CAC approval, with votes set to take place on the three other active projects next week.
