Resorts World breaks ground on second phase of casino project

Officials and gaming executives broke ground on the second phase of Resorts World’s casino expansion on Wednesday.  Borough President Donovan Richards/X

By Ryan Schwach

Resorts World broke ground on all of the non-casino aspects of their expansion plan on Wednesday.

Elected officials and casino executives put shovels in the ground on the Malaysian gaming conglomerate's plans for a hotel, arena and other amenities in Southeast Queens.

Phase two of the casino operator’s $5.5 billion plan includes the 400-room Hyatt tower, a sports and media center named for Queens-born NBA legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith, a 7,000 seat arena and 12 acres of green space.

The full project is scheduled to be completed in 2031.

“This ceremony marks the beginning of the next chapter of New York City's first integrated resort, a destination unlike this city has ever seen before,” said Genting America East President Robert DeSalvio. “We're already building the future, and when we gather here again in the years ahead, we will be standing in the middle of a world-class destination that creates opportunity, welcomes the world and makes every New Yorker proud.”

The start of the entertainment complex comes several months after Resorts World became the first casino in the city to open live table games.

Local elected officials who supported Resorts World’s expansion when the company proposed the billion dollar plan to the state as it sought out one of the three coveted downstate casino licenses said Wednesday marked another major milestone.

“It seems like we're hitting a jackpot every few weeks at Resorts World,” said Borough President Donovan Richards. “We hit another one today.”

“The first part back in April with all the new table games was easy, but now the real expansion begins,” he added. “I couldn't be more excited about the future of Queens County. We've always been clear that you should never have to leave your community to find a good job, stable housing, or quality entertainment. This expansion at Resort World is making sure we're keeping all of those opportunities in house right here in Queens.”

In addition to the groundbreaking this week, the casino operators also completed the first floor of its new commercial casino, adding 1,400 slot machines, bringing the number of slot machines on site to 3,900.

"Since the moment we opened, our slot machines have been incredibly popular with the public,” DeSalvio said in a statement. "With these 1,400 new games, we will be able to accommodate more patrons and generate even more in taxes for the state.”

Since the table games first opened in April, Resorts World has pulled in $317,309,202, accounting for nearly half of the state’s entire gaming revenue in 2026 so far.

New York’s other four casinos, which includes Resorts World Catskills, generated $697,317,197 so far this year.

“What began as a decade-long dream to build a global, international gaming entertainment and dining destination in Queens is now about being realized in front of us today,” said KT Lim, the CEO of Genting. “This ceremony is a promise renewed, and I can tell you with confidence: this is only the beginning of what's to come next.”

Part of Resorts World’s pitch for expansion inclded $2 billion in community benefits to public education and other community investments.

Resorts World also promised the highest tax revenue of any casino bid, and upped the ante by tossing in an additional $100 million for its licensing fee.

Critics of the state’s downstate casino expansion have worried that there won’t be enough to keep the three casino bid winners – Resorts World, Metropolitan Park and Bally’s – from fulfilling their financial promises. New York Focus reported in June that Resorts World is already in a dispute with the state about how much money the company owes concerning “racing support” payments to the state’s horseracing industry.

Queens State Senator Joseph Addabbo, who had Resorts World in his district before the state’s district maps were redrawn in 2021, said that any dispute over community benefits from the casinos can be solved.

“I'm always confident that we can resolve this, whether it be legislatively or administratively,” Addabbo, who serves as the chair of the Senate’s Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering.