The phase-two groundbreaking at the Resorts World New York City took place July 22. Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Genting Group
Just a few months after New York City's first table-games casino debuted there on April 28, Resorts World New York City has broken ground on phase two of the property, which currently features a 400-room Hyatt Regency hotel that opened in 2021.
"In less than three months after opening our doors as the first casino in New York City's history, we are already moving towards a day when the city will have a first-of-its-kind integrated resort," said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of the Genting Group, which owns the resort. "Not only are we keeping every commitment we made in our proposal to the state, but we are running well ahead of schedule in starting to build outside of our existing building."
Elements of phase two that are underway include:
- The development of an additional 400-room hotel tower for the Hyatt Regency;
- The Kenny "The Jet" Sports and Media Complex, which will open three years earlier than initially scheduled; the education complex is named for Queens, N.Y., basketball legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith, who won two NBA championships with the Houston Rockets and is now a TV commentator;
- A 7,000-seat multipurpose arena;
- 1,200 additional hotel rooms under the luxury Crockfords brand;
- The central plaza; and
- A state-of-the-art parking garage.
The full expansion is expected to create 10,000 jobs, including an estimated 5,000 union construction jobs, and will add 2 million square feet of gaming, entertainment, dining, retail and convention space to the existing 1-million-square-foot property.
"The excitement around this project hasn't stopped since the day we submitted our bid," said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East. "It carried us through our licensing process and through the first 12 weeks of operating New York City's first live table games. Today, that same excitement is present as we break ground on Phase Two, which will bring new infrastructure, new parking, and the next wave of hotel rooms."
Already a success
According to Genting, with just two floors of gaming operation open since the property's debut, Resorts World has increased tax and racing support payment by more than 30 percent compared with the same period last year. It has payed $170 million in casino taxes and racing support in the first 12 weeks of operation.
The company also said, with the addition of 1,400 slot machines on July 21 and more gaming tables coming by the end of the year, RWNYC is expected to grow casino tax and racing support payments significantly to $1 billion a year, including $425 million for education, $425 million for the Metropolitan Transit Authority and $150 million in support of the state's horse-racing industry.
Resorts World New York City has operated in southeast Queens for 15 years and is New York State's largest taxpayer. The property employs approximately 2,500 people, more than half of them Queens County residents, and has invested more than $1.1 billion in southeast Queens, generated more than $5 billion for the State's public education system, and welcomes an average of 5 million guests annually.