Resorts World New York City (RWNYC) says it has “opened the first floor of its commercial casino, adding 1,400 slot machines less than three months after the new facility became the city’s first full-fledged casino”.
The property (pictured) had an April 28 launch as a full-service casino after its promoter, Genting New York LLC, was approved for a full downstate gaming licence by the New York State Gaming Commission, following a competitive tender that produced three successful bidders. Genting New York is a subsidiary of Genting Malaysia Bhd.
Previously, the Genting property had been a video lottery gaming machine and automated electronic tables facility.
The RWNYC promoter said in its latest update that the extra slot machines, added on Tuesday, took the total onsite to 3,900 units, and the move was “expected to significantly increase gross gaming revenue and commensurate taxes to the state of New York”.
RWNYC proposed the highest gaming tax rate of the three approved bidders for downstate gaming licences, at 56 percent on slots and 30 percent on gaming tables.
A separate update mentioned that since April 28, RWNYC “has increased tax and racing support payment by over 30 percent compared with the same period last year, paying US$170 million in casino taxes and racing support in the first 12 weeks of operation”.
Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, was cited as saying: “Since the moment we opened, our slot machines have been incredibly popular with the public, generating more than US$230 million in gross gaming revenue in just 11 weeks.”
He added: “With these 1,400 new games, we will be able to accommodate more patrons and generate even more in taxes for the state.”
The update said that at the heart of the new gaming floor was the venue’s “Dragon Den”, described as “an immersive slot experience” featuring 114 of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd’s most popular themes, including 48 “Dragon Link” games.
The new floor also offers the potential of winning a US$1-million progressive jackpot, per the update.
The property said the fresh gaming operation represents the first stage of a planned US$5.5 billion buildout at the site.
By 2030, RWNYC intends to operate a 350,000-square-foot (32,516 sq. metre) gaming floor with 6,000 slot machines and 800 live table games, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, 2,000 hotel rooms, and more than 10 acres (4.0 hectares) of public green space.
The update said RWNYC had generated “close to US$1 billion in annual gross gaming revenue,” and had “contributed more than US$5 billion to New York’s public education system since 2011″.
The statement added: “Its expansion commitments include US$2.5 billion to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a US$2 billion community benefits package.”
RWNYC also issued a press release with a photograph (above) showing Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of the property’s Malaysian parent, the Genting Group, attending a ground breaking ceremony for phase two of the property.
Elements in phase two include: a 400-room hotel tower to add on to the current Hyatt Regency; a sports and media complex that will “open three years earlier than initially pledged and shift to the middle of the Resorts World campus to be more accessible to the entirety of the project”; a 7,000 seat multipurpose arena; 1,200 additional hotel rooms under the Crockfords brand; and a “central plaza”.
According to the announcement on the phase-two ground breaking, the full expansion is projected to create 10,000 jobs, including an estimated 5,000 union construction jobs.
