Poker Writer
Resorts World New York City earned unanimous approval from a community advisory committee for its plan to upgrade its current property, located in the borough of Queens, to a full-scale casino resort. The committee voted 6-0 in favor of granting Resorts World one of the three downstate commercial casino licenses.
That’s a significant step for Resorts World, though the casino isn’t a done deal yet. The final decision on the proposal ultimately rests with the State Gaming Commission. Following that decision, plans would proceed with the expansion of the existing property.
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Will Resorts World NYC Have Poker?
The planned expansion is a $5 billion project that will increase the number of slots and add table games. The existing license allows for only slots, but the new license will enable Resorts World to go beyond that. It could potentially add poker.
Resorts World in Las Vegas has become a popular destination for poker. One of the newest properties on the Strip, it offers a variety of daily poker tournaments and series. But its claim to fame in the poker world has been becoming a hot spot for a variety of mixed cash games. It has also demonstrated staying power in the tournament space as the ongoing home of the only PokerStars North American Poker Tour stop.
The New York version of Resorts World mentions poker and blackjack in its expansion plans, indicating that they may aim to create an East Coast version of the poker action seen in Vegas.
Resorts World New York is expected to create as many as 24,000 jobs, accompanied by a hotel expansion of 1,600 rooms to complement the casino expansion. Resorts World will expand the property by 350,000 square feet. It would become one of the largest casinos in the world.
Winning the Bidding Competition
The fight for the New York City casino license has been intense, with several prominent bids, especially in Manhattan. There, the Freedom Plaza proposal got shot down, shortly after the Times Square bid was also rejected.
That closed the door on any chance of a commercial Manhattan gambling hub.
That left Resorts World New York as one of the prime candidates, along with a fellow Queens bid in Hard Rock Metropolitan Park. An advisory committee also approved the bid from Empire City MGM Casino Yonkers on the same day as Resorts World.
MGM and Resorts World had the advantage of already having properties up and running. Both simply sought expansion as opposed to an entirely new property in a high density city.
Other remaining bids include ones in the Bronx at Ferry Point and one for Coney Island.
