New renderings show a planned $5 billion expansion of the Big Apple’s first-full fledged casino that will transform it into the largest integrated gaming resort in the country.
Resorts World New York City near the former Aqueduct race track in Queens will launch the next phase of the expansion Wednesday — complete with a second 400-room hotel tower and a 7,000-person concert arena.
This groundbreaking comes a day after Resorts World unveiled its first-floor expansion, putting an additional 1,400 slot machines online and open to the public.
The Post obtained renderings of the expanded complex, which will include:
- Completing the Kenny “The Jet” Sports and Media Complex three years earlier than initially planned.
The “Jet Center” is named after Queens hoops legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith, who won two NBA championships with the Houston Rockets and is now a TV basketball commentator. - A second 400-room Hyatt hotel tower and a new luxury Crockfords hotel, adding to the existing 400-room Hyatt Regency hotel that opened in 2021. Eventually, 2,000 hotel rooms will serve Resorts World gamblers and other guests.
- A new central plaza and 7,000-person multipurpose arena for concerts.
- A new parking garage with thousands of solar panels
The casino, which was awarded a state gaming license to offer live table games after featuring slot machines since 2011, became the first full Las Vegas-style casino in the the five boroughs earlier this year.
It now offers Blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette at 240 tables on the first, second and third floors of the casino.
It also features nearly 4,000 slot machines, including 1,400 that came online Tuesday.
Already one of Queens’ largest employers, Resorts World had employed 2,200 people, and the expansion will provide an estimated 500-2,700 additional jobs by summer’s end.
The state Gaming Commission also awarded two other gaming licenses for full casinos in Gotham.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock are planning a “Metropolitan Park” casino complex near Citi Field in Flushing, Queens — while Bally’s plans to open a Bronx casino on the property of President Trump’s former golf course at Ferry Point near the Whitestone Bridge — a move that nets the Trump Organization up to $115 million.
But Resorts World, owned and operated by the Malaysian-based Genting Group, is ahead of the game because it already had the existing and operational slots-only facility.
The other licensed casino operators are building from scratch, with years before they will be ready to open to the public.
Resorts World NYC is not only spending $5.5 billion for its expansion but it has s proposed a $2 billion community benefits package, with a commitment to build up to 50,000 units of workforce housing across the five boroughs, as well as a $100 million infrastructure improvement package.
The casino anticipates paying a total $10.8 billion in state and local tax payments during the first 10 years of its expansion.
It also is expected to generate $2.5 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority through its $500 million gaming license fee, $2 billion in new revenue and $2 billion for the state public education system.
Resorts World reports it has generated more than $5 billion in revenue for New York State’s public education system since opening in 2011.
