Resorts World Details Integrated Resort Plans For Queens Casino

One of the two Queens-based casino proposals for the New York downstate licenses looks to be swinging for the fences.

Resorts World detailed plans to expand its casino at Aqueduct into an integrated resort at its initial Community Advisory Committee meeting Monday and pledged to have the first gaming phase of its $5.5 billion project ready within six months of being awarded a license.

Resorts World’s application is among eight submitted by the New York State Gaming Commission. Resorts World is considered a favorite to be awarded one of the three $500 million downstate licenses up for grabs, and the application is one of two Queens-based proposals being considered along with Metropolitan Park, fronted by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock.

The CAC requires a two-thirds majority — four votes — to advance the applicant to the New York Gaming Facility Board by Sept. 30. Should it fail to hold a vote by that date, the applicant is deemed rejected. The board would then make its selections for the licenses Dec. 1, which would be followed by the commission license consideration before the end of the year.

The colossus that is Resorts World

One reason Resorts World is considered a solid favorite for a license is that it has been generating revenue — a lot of revenue — for the state for more than a decade.

After a sizzle reel at the meeting that starred Crown Heights-born rapper Nas, Resorts World Strategy Chief & Legal Officer Kevin Jones showed what the gaming company has done since arriving on the former Aqueduct Raceway site in 2010.

Resorts World is the highest revenue-generating casino in the United States with more than $1 billion annually. That revenue has translated into close to $7 billion in total tax receipts distributed among New York’s Education Fund, the horse racing industry, and the New York State Lottery’s administration of responsible gaming programs. It expects to generate $1 billion in tax revenue annually from the project should it be awarded a license.

Resorts World has grown its property to include a 400-room Hyatt Regency hotel — lifting its workforce to 1,000, most of whom live in Queens, according to Jones. Its more recent expansions in New York — acquiring Resorts World Catskills in 2019 and opening Resorts World Hudson Valley in 2022 — has made it the largest gaming-based employer in the state with more than 3,000 jobs.

Thinking bigger than Vegas

Jones, whose tone throughout his presentation struck of urgency, turned his attention to what Resorts World wanted to build on the 70-acre-plus property in explaining what an integrated casino is:

“There’s something far more ambitious. … An integrated resort is a casino-anchored complex that seamlessly blends hospitality, entertainment, business, dining, and culture. It’s not just about gaming. It’s about staying, playing, meeting, shopping, and relaxing.”

Jones explained that Resorts World’s model for the New York plans is its Sentosa property in Singapore. That 120-acre complex includes a Universal Studios, aquarium, two casinos, and 1,800 rooms spanning seven hotels.

Jones said the overriding philosophy of Sentosa is a “mantra where one plus one actually equals three … because when gaming, hotel, restaurants, events, and retail are designed to compliment one another, the result is a powerful synergy that drives tourism, creates jobs, and unlocks long-term economic value for the community and the state.”

Metrics that ooze potential

Jones pointed out that there are 19 million people in the New York metropolitan area, plus another 64 million domestic and international visitors annually — a good portion of which arrive via nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport. Having the largest parcel of land to develop at Aqueduct, Jones said Resorts World would be able to build the largest gaming space in the country with a total of nearly 11,000 gaming positions spanning 500,000 square feet.

The casino gaming would be augmented with 2,000 hotel rooms, 30 restaurants and bars, a 7,000-seat multipurpose arena, 12 acres of public green space, and 7,000 mostly covered parking spaces. Jones explained that because the way Resorts World was built, it has the capacity to make a quick turnaround and offer a casino space that would have 4,000 slot positions and 250 table games operational within six months of receiving a license.

“Resorts World will become one of the most significant economic engines in Queens history, propelling local growth and opportunity for generations to come,” Jones said.

“We’re ready to bring that vision to life in Queens, creating a world-class integrated resort unlike anything seen in the United States and one of the finest in the world.”

A pledge for jobs and housing

Resorts World projects to have 5,000 permanent jobs and 5,000 unique construction jobs, as well as provide an indirect impact that creates 14,000 jobs. It touted a median annual salary of $80,000 per year, or $150,000 when including health benefits.

In his final remarks, Jones discussed Resorts World’s commitment made in May to help produce 50,000 units of housing spread throughout the five boroughs as part of a $1.5 billion community investment. Half of those funds would come via a $25 million annual investment in tandem with Cirrus Workforce Housing. Jones teased that next week Resorts World and Cirrus will announce its first housing unit project consisting of 3,000 units.

“We’re not dangling a commercial license to say, ‘Oh, well, we will do housing if we get a commercial license.’ No, we signed that agreement,” Jones said. “We started funding this work. We’re doing it now. The only question at this table is whether or not we’re going to be able to do more of it.

“If we get a commercial license, we’re going to do more of it. And not just more of what we’re doing, but a whole hell of a lot more than anybody else has even fixed their lips to say.”

CAC’s duties, responsibilities

Besides choosing whether to vote an applicant forward, the most important duty each Community Advisory Committee has is to hold at least two public hearings to solicit comment. In addition, it reviews public comments submitted on a project and votes to reflect the public support or lack thereof.

A CAC can solicit changes to an application, but there are limits to the changes that can be made. The committee has the power to request a bidder change or modify its application, but that also must be put in writing prior to the deadline.

One thing the CAC cannot do is make any changes or modifications necessitating change to the Environmental Quality Review Act.

The CAC for Resorts World voted Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato as its chair. Pheffer Amato appointed herself to the committee, which also is comprised of:

• Stevens Martinez, deputy policy director of intergovernmental affairs on Long Island, named by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul;
• Nicole Garcia, Queens borough commissioner for NYC Department of Transportation, picked by New York City Mayor Eric Adams;
• Sen. James Sanders, Jr., self-appointed;
• Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, self-appointed;
• Betty Braton, Community Board 10 chair, selected by New York City Councilmember Adrienne Adams.