A Casino Where Gaming Meets Luxury. Resorts World Catskills provides unparalleled gaming like no other in the region. The 100,000 square foot casino floor showcases over 150 live table games that include Blackjack, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Pai Gow Tiles, 1,600 slot machines, a poker room, luxurious private player's lounge and high limit salon privets.
When Americans think about gambling hotspots, the first places that come to mind are Las Vegas or Atlantic City, NJ. Although the latter has served many a New York gambler throughout the years, residents of NY know that there are a wealth of casinos in New York that offer a wide selection of casino games. Here is a list of the 10 best land-based casinos in New York. Each excels in numerous different areas.
This page is designed to be your one stop shop for all the info you need about New York Casinos. It'll break down the different land-based gambling establishments located throughout upstate NY and the rest of the Empire State. In addition, I'll discuss the legal history of the state and gambling halls. At the end of the page, you can find a complete list of casinos in New York.
Commercial Casinos in New York State
- Families traveling in New York enjoyed their stay at the following all inclusive resorts: Sunny Hill Resort and Golf Course - Traveler rating: 5.0/5 Rocking Horse Ranch Resort - Traveler rating: 4.5/5.
- The biggest establishment of the State of New York (NY) is the Resort World Casino New York City located in Jamaica only 10 minutes from the JFK International Airport. The gaming offer is wide with 5,000 slot machines and hundreds of table games in electronic versions such as Roulette, Blackjack, Sic Bo, Craps, Baccarat or Three Card Poker.
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- Commercial Casinos in New York State
- What Else Should One Look for Besides Gambling?
The traditional casino is a commercial enterprise. Until recently, however, the state of NY has not permitted commercial gaming. The state's historic gambling laws have placed lots of restrictions on casino gambling. This all changed in 2013 when the state agreed to legalize Las Vegas-style casinos, which had up until this point been constrained to Native American lands. The decision was made to help boost the state's economy which had been experiencing sluggish growth in the years leading up to the decision. Today, commercial casinos generate more revenue than NY's tribal gambling locations and the average New Yorker spends about $130 per/year per adult at casinos.
Today, the state has four commercial casinos in upstate New York. The land-based commercial casinos are the del Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, Seneca County, Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino in Islandia, the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, Tioga Downs in Nichols, Tioga & the World Catskills. These gambling sites offer huge selections of slot games as well as a nice collection of table & card games. Although there are racinos, or racetrack casinos in numerous locations throughout the state, most of these places don't have live table games, only electronic versions of the tables. NY's four upstate casinos are the only approved locations for sports betting. However, betting won't commence until they have been provided the appropriate licences.
Pari-mutuel Casinos: Racinos
Racinos are technically commercial casinos, but I decided to talk about them in a different section because these gambling locations are not what people traditionally think of when you say the world ‘casino.' Of the 12 commercial New York casinos, eight of them are racinos. The term is used to describe horserace tracks that hold licenses to offer casino games. In 2001, the New York State Legislature passed a bill, which allowed racetracks to have video lottery terminals (VLTs). VLTs are like slots, but often contain multiple gambling options. VLTs can be found in Delaware, Rhode Island, Louisiana, NY, Ohio and West Virginia.
Although racinos are immensely popular as evident by the love New Yorkers have for places like Batavia Downs, in fact, 5,000 people attended it's opening night, racinos are slightly more limited when it comes to casino games. Racinos don't carry live table games. So although most of these places will claim to have hundreds of table and card titles, these are always electronic versions of the games. Nevertheless, racinos remain a staple of the New York gambling scene and offer a lot of the same amenities (entertainment & dining) that other NY casinos do.
Tribal Gaming in New York State
The most abundant gambling option in the US is by far the Native American/Tribal/Indian Casino and the same goes for NY. There are more Indian casinos in New York than any other type of gambling site. Up until the state's 2013 decision to open new casinos in New York, Native American gaming was the only gambling option in the Empire State. The first tribal gaming location opened in 1993 after the passage of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The first site was run by the Oneida Indian Nation, which is one of four tribes that operate NY's federally approved casinos. The other tribes are the Seneca Nation, Cayuga Nation, and the St. Regis Mohawk tribe.
Tribal gambling remains the most popular form of casino play in New York because it offered the first Vegas-esque experience in the state. Residents near the state line always had the option to pop on over to Canada or New Jersey, but the approval of gambling licenses for Native American tribes finally gave New Yorkers options for in-state play. Places like Turning Stone are considered some of the top casinos in New York. The resort has been in operation for over two decades and has won Casino Player Magazine's #1 Best Overall Gaming Resort in New York award multiple times.
What Else Should One Look for Besides Gambling?
Of course, there are more than a few factors that determine the quality of NY casinos. Of course, gambling is a huge draw when it comes to selecting one establishment over another, but many people prefer one site over another because of the amenities it offers alongside its gaming entertainment. Below you can find some of the things you should keep an eye out for when planning your next casino get away. All of these criteria were considered when selecting our top land-based casinos in New York, and many of the sites in our top casinos list have won numerous awards for their entertainment offerings.
Location
Residents of Upstate New York are spoilt when it comes to casino options because most of the commercial gambling locations are based in the northern part of the state. This is because the law which allowed the opening of commercial gambling establishments, did so with the assumption that casinos would boost the economy of an economically depressed region of the state. Residents of the Big Apple are limited to one option, which is the Resorts World New York City Racino in Queens. For traditional table games, players will have to travel out of the city. That's why it is important to find a gambling establishment located in a place suitable to your needs.
Hotel
Slot bonanza free coins. If you plan to make a trip out of your gambling outing, you'll want to be sure to choose a resort that has a nice hotel suitable to the needs of you, and if you have one your family. Many of the tribal and commercial gambling resorts have put a lot of effort into their hotels that feature amenities such as golf courses, spas, pools, and lounges.
Entertainment and Dining
Similar to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the best casinos in New York offer a wide-array of exciting entertainment options alongside their gambling options. At the most popular resorts, you can expect to find concerts, comedy shows, world-class dining, clubs and more. The Seneca Allegany Resort even features a large outdoor venue, which can accommodate famous musical acts. Travis Tritt, Toby Keith, Jackson Browne and Ringo star are only a few of the big names that have graced the resort's outdoor stage. As you can see, there are many things that make for a great overall experience, and these things should be considered when looking for the ideal gaming location.
New York Casino Market Overview
The Empire State houses 12 land-based casinos and racinos which are overseen by the New York State Gaming Commission and 15 tribal casinos, which are not regulated by the state. The NY casinos market ranks in the top five of the United States. It generated a gross revenue of over two billion dollars in the year 2017 and generated a total tax revenue of 1.02 billion for the state (this figure doesn't include other forms of gambling such as sports betting, lotteries, poker or horse racing).
These figures are especially impressive considering casino gaming is a relatively new and the state's market faces some steep competition from its neighbors. New York is a big state, that could benefit from casino gaming, but a lot of the money spent goes to tribal gaming establishments as well as out-of-state casinos in places such as Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey. NJ benefits from its close proximity to NYC, which only has one casino in the five boroughs (Queens).
Casinos in New York are split into two types, Class II and Class III. Class III gambling establishments are the only sites allowed to carry your standard casino games like slots, roulette, blackjack, and more. Most ‘racinos' and gambling locals fall into the class II category. These sites can only carry social-type games such as bingo. Below you can find a list of all the casinos in New York state.
All the Casinos Available in the State of New York
New Yorkers are surprisingly spoiled when it comes to land-based casino options. Not only are there heaps of casinos in Upstate New York, but you'll also find racinos and tribal gaming centers spread throughout the other regions of the state. Below is a list of every casino that offers real money games in NY. The map below shows every legal casino in the state.
Blue: Tribal Gaming Red: Racinos Green: Commercial Casinos
Resorts World Casino New York City is one of the state's newest gambling options, which opened just a few years ago in 2011. It is currently a 'Racino,' opening as an extension of the Aqueduct Racetrack. The Aqueduct is actually the 5th oldest horse track in the United States, and is is located across the Belt Parkway from JFK International Airport in Jamaica, Queens.
Unlike some other casinos in upstate New York and those in nearby areas like Atlantic City which offer full-fledged gaming, Resorts World only offers Virtual Lottery Terminals, which are essentially electronic scratch off tickets that are regulated by the state. They do also offer a few table games, but they are electronic and fully automated. Because the Aqueduct Race Track is in the same location as Resorts, you can obviously bet on horses or watch live races here.
Casino at Resorts World NYC
The casino at Resorts World is somewhat disappointing, especially if you are used to visiting places like Atlantic City or Las Vegas which utilize a Randomly Generated Number system. The 'slot machines' at Resorts do not use RNG's (randomly generated numbers), but rather utilize a virtual lottery system. These machines appear similar to slots at first glance, but are essentially the same thing as buying a scratch off ticket.
The casino floor here does feature many popular electronic games made by brands like Ballys and IGT, even though they utilize a lottery system which is different from what you would normally see on these types of machines. This can offer some excitement if you happen to be in the area. If you do not live close-by, it might do you well to consider driving the extra few miles to Atlantic City, especially if you enjoy table games like Blackjack, Paigow, Poker etc.
One of the benefits (depending on who you are) is that this casino is 100% smoke-free. This is a nice change if you are someone like myself who does not smoke, considering most casinos in other parts of the country can get pretty smoky. Resorts World Casino does offer two fairly large gaming floors, which includes one high-limit room on the 2nd floor in the 5th Avenue Club. Other than the high limit room, the slot machines here generally range from 1¢ to $100.
All in all, Resorts has over 3,000 electronic games which includes all the popular slots like Wheel of Fortune and Triple Double Diamonds as well as video poker, virtual craps, virtual baccarat and other popular table game variations. In my personal opinion, it is more exciting to play these games with a live dealer vs a virtual machine like those at Resorts. In recent years there have been some rumors that Resorts is seeking to expand into offering table games, but nothing has been made official yet. It goes without saying that there are no poker tables here.
Racetrack at the Aqueduct
Resorts World Casino exists today all because of the Aqueduct Racetrack. The Aqueduct is the 5th oldest horse track in the United States, opening in 1894 and it is also the only horse racing track located within the New York City Limits. It is one of the most historic tracks in the country, and offers a thoroughbred dirt racing track. When you are on the gaming floor of Resorts World Casino, you can walk right out any of the back doors and be right on the racetrack. This can be an exciting and cheap source of entertainment if you want to take a break from playing slots and electronic games. The Aqueduct Racetrack is fairly nice and well maintained, and it offers over 200 days of racing each year.
Traveling to Resorts World Casino
One of the major draws regarding Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, is the ease of transportation. New York City is known as having one of the most comprehensive public transportation systems in the world, and Resorts World is no exception. Many buses (both shuttles and standard buses) run to and from Resorts, with service running from many popular areas of the city. You are also able to get here via the LIRR, NYC Subway and the daily shuttle bus that runs from Sutphin Blvd and Archer Ave. You can learn more about transportation options here.
Restaurants and Bars at Resorts World Casino
Resorts World Casino offers several options in regards to restaurants and bars. The most popular and eye-catching bar you'll find here is Bar 360, which is located in the center of Times Square Casino and includes a massive television screen with live bands performing nightly. The television is actually the largest in Queens, and is a great place to watch sports games. Bar 360 features video poker machines at each seat, which if you are actively playing, you can get free drinks.
Aside from the popular Bar 360, Resorts World Casino also offers several dining options. The most popular of which includes the food court which features several options from burgers to asian food and popular chains like Starbucks and Subway. Aside from the food court, there is also a RW Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for those with more expensive taste. Compared to other large casinos, Resorts has a somewhat underwhelming offering of restaurants and bars.
Hotel at Resorts World
Though the name is somewhat misleading, there is not an actual hotel or resort at Resorts World Casino. Because it is essentially located next-door to JFK International Airport, there are hundreds of hotel options you can choose from nearby on or near the Belt Parkway. Needless to say, there are not any spa options or pools here either. This is somewhat disappointing considering that is pretty standard, but considering Resorts is a Racino, it is not too surprising.