New York City enters a new phase of gambling with the launch of live table games on April 28, 2026, at Resorts World New York City in Queens, operated by Genting New York LLC, marking the first legal offering of table games within the city. The project, led by Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, will debut with more than 240 tables; including blackjack, baccarat, craps and roulette, alongside over 2,500 machines, with further expansion planned.
The milestone follows regulatory approval on December 15, 2025, when the New York State Gaming Commission authorized the conversion of the Aqueduct complex into a commercial casino. The legal foundation remains the New York Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law, under the supervision of the Commission, chaired by Brian O’Dwyer and led operationally by Robert Williams.
Until now, the city operated without casinos offering live table games. Resorts World NYC had functioned since 2011 as a video lottery terminal (VLT) facility, generating more than $5 billion for state education but without traditional casino offerings. The shift introduces, for the first time, a full casino model within city limits, differentiating it from the rest of the state, where four upstate commercial casinos were already in operation.
The Queens project is rapidly scaling into a flagship complex: up to 500,000 square feet of gaming space, 6,000 machines, 800 live tables, more than 10,800 gaming positions, 2,000 hotel rooms and a 7,000-seat arena. Its initial phase already includes 1,250 new jobs, including 950 dealers, bringing total employment to more than 2,700 staff by summer.
Robert DeSalvio
The expansion builds on one of the largest gambling markets in the United States. In mobile sports betting, operators such as Caesars have recorded approximately $2.04 billion in wagering volume and $140.6 million in revenue, while BetMGM exceeds $1.27 billion, reflecting the scale of demand across New York City and its metropolitan area.
The ecosystem is complemented by responsible gambling oversight from OASAS, led by Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, reinforcing safeguards in a market that now adds a premium land-based offering at the core of New York City.
