Resorts World New York City received its last major land use approval from the state for its proposed $5.5 billion expansion into an integrated resort at Aqueduct.
Courtesy of RWNYC
As it endeavors to become the largest commercial casino in the nation, Resorts World New York City has received its last major land use approval for its $5.5 billion vision to create an integrated resort at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, ensuring work can immediately begin if granted one of the three downstate commercial gaming licenses at the end of the year.
Late last month, the New York State Franchise Oversight Board voted 5-0 to accept the final environmental impact statement and finding statement for Resorts World’s next phase, which will ultimately create a 5.6-million-square-foot destination just minutes from JFK International Airport. The unanimous vote marked the final necessary approval to transform the 73-acre Aqueduct site, where Resorts World has operated as the city’s only casino since 2011.
“This seal of approval from the Franchise Oversight Board means that we can literally get to work a day after receiving the commercial gaming license,” said Robert DeSalvio, President of Genting America East. “We have made speed to market a priority to create the highest and best values for New Yorkers, whether it’s through jobs or revenue, and we’re living up to that promise. We are grateful to the State for this action, and we hope we can hit the ground running this December.”
If granted a commercial gaming license by this December, Resorts World will have the ability to expand its operations as early as July 2026. The permanent workforce will be more than triple in that time, as visitors will have access to 4,000 slot machines and electronic table games, as well as 250 live table games. Once completed, Resorts World will become the largest commercial casino in the United States with 6,000 slots and ETGs and 800 table games across a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor.
The integrated resort will include a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena, more than 7,000 parking spaces, more than 30 food and beverage outlets, hundreds of thousands of square feet of large-scale meeting space, a dozen acres of community park space, a spa, and 2,000 hotel rooms. The project will create five thousand union construction jobs, alongside 5,000 permanent positions, with an expected 14,000 induced jobs coming online as a result.
Approval under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) came just days after Resorts World executives presented the vision for Aqueduct to its six-person Community Advisory Committee.
“We’re proud to have grown with the Queens community for nearly 15 years,” DeSalvio said. “What the Community Advisory Committee heard was a vision for a transformative project that will be a game changer for the borough, the city and the state.”
Resorts World is the single largest employer of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO. Jobs at Resorts World feature full benefits and salaries averaging $80,000 for more than 1,000 team members, more than 80% of whom are people of color, and nearly half are women. A vast majority of that workforce lives within five miles of Resorts World, resulting in salaries staying directly in the community. Since opening its doors in 2011, Resorts World has become New York State’s largest taxpayer, generating more than $4.5 billion in revenue, supporting the state’s public education fund. The company has additionally sent more than $2 billion in tax revenue to the horse-racing industry and $200 million towards operations of the New York State Lottery. Those numbers would increase exponentially should Resorts World receive the full commercial license.
“Since Resorts World was granted operations of the Aqueduct site in 2010, we have sought to be a neighbor that Queens deserves, providing 1,000 good union jobs, investing millions of dollars into our neighborhood, and building everlasting bonds with the community,” DeSalvio said. “But we also made them a promise to do more in every sense of the term, and today’s proposal lays out just how we will.”
All land-use approvals have been granted, and the company is ready to start construction the day it receives a commercial gaming license. With those facts in mind, Resorts World Chief Legal and Strategy Officer Kevin Jones noted in the presentation to the Community Advisory Committee, “When it comes to completion and operational risk, Resorts World New York City stands uniquely as almost risk-free.”
