Could a Mega Casino Work in NYC?

by | Jul 16, 2021 | Entertainment

The situation regarding legal gambling in New York City is complex. On one hand, New York supports tribal casinos and commercial casinos, including racetrack betting. Residents can also participate in the New York Lotto but the future of online gambling is not so clear. A law was passed in 2021 to allow legal online sports wagering but an official date has yet to be set.

In terms of online casinos, players have been using a live casino at home or on their mobile devices due to the ongoing global crisis within the big apple, so with that in mind, people have been calling for the creation of a mega-casino in New York City. This would be similar to the fantastic casinos available in many of the other iconic cities and regions around the world, including Las Vegas, Singapore, Monte Carlo, Macao, Paris, Lisbon, and Atlantic City.

With New York already famous for so many other attractions, would a mega-casino work in NYC?

One of the first questions to be answered when discussing the creation of a mega-casino in New York City is located. NYC is a huge place but there has been recent talk regarding Queens as a possible destination for the first Vegas-style casino in the city. Resorts World Casino is currently the only casino in New York City and the state legislature has been looking at expanding this casino to create a mega-casino.

At the time of writing, Resorts World Casino can only offer slot machines and electronic table games. So, for the expansion to work, that is going to have to change. Dealers, live table games, and sports betting are banned downstate until 2023 but there could be a movement that would see that date brought forward.

There is no doubt the expansion of Resorts World Casino into a mega casino would work in terms of the jobs it would bring to Queens in NYC. Meghan Taylor, the vice president of Government Affairs and Public Relations for Resorts World Casino spoke about the potential expansion into a mega-casino and said, “What that means is thousands of jobs being created almost immediately, and those thousands of jobs are for communities or really would be in communities that are in need of quality, high-paying jobs”.

So, for the community, the introduction of a mega-casino would be a success. The same can probably be said for visitors and those wanting to gamble. Rather than having to travel to Atlantic City or Las Vegas for the complete casino experience, residents and visitors would be able to enjoy playing blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker in New York City. That could mean the end of weekends away to Las Vegas for residents and multi-city breaks for visitors.

The opening of a mega-casino in NYC would also bring additional revenue to the city and state of New York. With millions of people visiting the city every year, thousands are sure to flock to a mega-casino and there appears to be nothing to suggest it would be anything other than a success.

Downtown Magazine