$5.5 Billion Proposal Would Open in July 2026, Quickly Providing Tens of Thousands of Jobs, Hundreds of Millions in Tax Revenue for New York State and the MTA

Queens, NY (July 21, 2025) – Nearly 15 years after first opening its doors, Resorts World New York City (RWNYC) today completed a vital step in realizing its vision of building the state’s largest fully integrated resort – presenting its once-in-a generation plan to the six-person Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Of all the proposals, Resorts World’s stands as the largest of all the bids in terms of site size, build-area, and casino-floor area.

The $5.5 billion proposal would transform the 73-acre Aqueduct site into the single-largest entertainment hub with a 5.6 million-square-foot integrated resort, allowing for 6,000 slot machines, 800 gaming tables, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat arena, more than 7,000 parking spaces, more than 30 food and beverage outlets, a magnificent spa and more than a dozen acres of community greenspace. It will create up to 24,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue for the state and MTA while providing a raft of benefits for the community that Resorts World has called home since 2011.

Best of all, this once-in-a-generation project could be open as early as July 2026. All land-use approvals have already been granted, and the company is ready to start construction the day it receives a license. With those facts in mind, Resorts World Chief Legal and Strategy Officer Kevin Jones noted in the presentation to the CAC, “When it comes to completion and operational risk, Resorts World New York City stands uniquely as almost risk-free.”

Resorts World team members were joined by world-renowned Chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Scott Conant, both of whom will have concepts at the integrated resort.

“We’re proud to have grown with the Queens community for nearly 15 years. What the Community Advisory Committee heard today was a vision for a transformative project that will be a game-changer for this borough, the city, and the state,” said Robert DeSalvio, President of Genting Americas East. “Since Resorts World was granted operations of the Aqueduct site in 2010, we have sought to be a neighbor that Queens deserves, providing 1,000 good union jobs, invested millions of dollars into our neighbors, and built everlasting bonds with the community. But we also made them a promise to do more in every sense of the term, and today’s proposal lays out just how we will.”

To view today’s presentation, click here.

Resorts World New York City is the single largest employer of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO. Jobs at RWNYC feature full benefits and salaries averaging $80,000 for over 1,000 team members, more than 80% of whom are people of color and nearly half women. A vast majority of team members live within five miles of the facility, resulting in salaries staying directly in the local community.

As New York State’s largest taxpayer and a longtime Queens staple, RWNYC has generated more than $4.5 billion in revenue supporting the state’s public education fund since opening its doors in 2011. The company has additionally sent more than $2 billion in tax revenue to the horse-racing industry and $200 million towards operations of the New York State Lottery. Should the company receive a full commercial license, those numbers would skyrocket even higher.

Serving as a community pillar, RWNYC recently formed a joint venture with Cirrus Workforce Housing to help fund the construction of up to 50,000 units of workforce housing throughout the city. Resorts World Gives, the casino’s philanthropic arm, has invested more than $10 million into arts, civic, educational, environmental, and economic development organizations.

Recognizing a number of additional needs of the community, RWNYC has pledged $50 million in start-up funding for the new Resorts World Innovation Campus, which will include state-of-the-art The Jet Center led by the two-time NBA Champion Kenny “The Jet” Smith, a Community Health and Wellness Center, and a Queens STEAM Institute.