Resorts World New York City opens commercial live table games on Monday, April 28, 2026, marking the first time any casino in New York City history has offered live dealer table gaming.

The Queens property, located adjacent to Aqueduct Racetrack, will operate more than 240 live dealer tables alongside thousands of existing slot machines on a redesigned third level. The expansion has involved approximately 950 newly trained table dealers and brings total property staff to over 2,200.

Resorts World was awarded one of three downstate casino licences by the New York State Gaming Commission in December 2025.

Games Offered

The opening floor will offer Blackjack, Craps, Baccarat, and Roulette, the four traditional table game categories required for a full commercial launch. According to property statements, the table-game menu will expand over time to include additional variants and side-bet options. The launch represents the first commercial table-games casino accessible to New York City residents without travel to Atlantic City, Connecticut, or upstate New York.

Property Background

Resorts World has operated slot machines and electronic table games at the Aqueduct site since 2011. The slot operation has historically generated substantial state-education tax revenue. The licence-driven expansion permits live table games for the first time on the property and represents the most significant single expansion in the property’s history.

The competitive licence-award process concluded in December 2025 with the NYSGC awarding licences to Bally’s (Bronx site), Hard Rock International (Citi Field-adjacent project in Queens, in partnership with Steve Cohen), and Resorts World New York (Aqueduct expansion). The Manhattan-based bid from Roc Nation, Caesars Entertainment, and SL Green Realty for a Times Square casino at 1515 Broadway was rejected by a community advisory committee in September 2025.

Build-Out Timeline

Resorts World moved faster than the other two licence winners due to existing infrastructure on the Aqueduct property. Bally’s Bronx project and the Hard Rock Metropolitan Park development in Queens are both targeting opening dates around 2030, leaving Resorts World as the only New York City commercial casino with live table games for an estimated four to five years.

The full integrated-resort development at Aqueduct is planned to include up to 6,000 slot machines, 800 table games, a 2,000-room hotel, and a 7,000-seat entertainment venue. The April 28 launch represents the first phase of that build-out.

Market Implications

For New York-area players, the April 28 opening removes the requirement to travel for live table-game access. Atlantic City, Connecticut’s Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, and upstate New York commercial casinos have served as the prior live-table options for New York City residents. According to industry observers cited in coverage, the Resorts World expansion is expected to materially shift the regional player flow and overnight stay patterns previously routed to Atlantic City.

The Times Square casino bid’s rejection and the subsequent S&P downgrade of the underlying 1515 Broadway mortgage on April 22 leave Resorts World without a Manhattan-based competitor for the foreseeable future. Across the wider licensed online casinos and US land-based operator landscape, the New York City launch represents the most significant single market expansion of 2026.