Resorts World New York City has officially broken ground on Phase Two of its $5.5 billion redevelopment, a milestone reached less than three months after the Queens property opened as the city’s first full commercial casino. The ceremony, held on July 22, 2026, came a day after operator Genting Americas East unveiled 1,400 additional slot machines on a newly reopened first floor gaming area. Phase Two will add roughly two million square feet of new gaming, entertainment, dining, retail and convention space to the existing one million square foot property at the former Aqueduct Racetrack site in South Ozone Park. The scope includes a new 400 room hotel tower built onto the current Hyatt Regency, an additional 1,200 rooms under the luxury Crockfords brand, a 7,000 seat multipurpose arena, a central plaza and a new parking structure. Genting Group Executive Chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay said the company is running ahead of the schedule it committed to in its licensing proposal to New York State. The project is privately financed under the terms of the downstate gaming license Resorts World secured from the New York State Gaming Commission last December, one of only three awarded citywide. Once complete, the integrated resort will house 6,000 slot machines and 800 live table games alongside 2,000 hotel rooms, positioning the property to become the largest casino in the United States by gross gaming revenue.

Queens Casino Boom Reshapes New York’s Gaming Landscape

Resorts World’s expansion is part of a broader transformation of New York City’s gaming sector, which for decades limited legal casino gambling to slot only racinos before the state opened a competitive process for three full scale downstate licenses. Two of the three winning bids landed in Queens alone, reflecting how concentrated the borough has become as a gaming destination. Hard Rock’s Metropolitan Park, an eight billion dollar project led by Mets owner Steve Cohen across from Citi Field, is aiming for a 2030 opening, while Bally’s Bronx, a four billion dollar casino and hotel complex planned for the former Trump linked Ferry Point golf course in Throggs Neck, is targeting a similar timeline. Genting’s project stands out for reaching the construction phase first, a lead that industry analysts attribute to Resorts World’s higher proposed tax rate and its faster path to market compared with the other two finalists. The field of contenders once looked very different. Construction Review Online reported in 2024 that Wynn Resorts and Related Companies were planning a mega 12 billion dollar hotel casino skyscraper at Hudson Yards, a project that would have dwarfed all three eventual winners in scale. That bid collapsed in May 2025 when Wynn withdrew amid sustained community opposition and pressure from the local city council member, ending what had been considered one of the strongest contenders in the race. Its exit thinned the Manhattan field and cleared the way for Queens and the Bronx to claim all three downstate licenses instead, a shift that now places Resorts World’s groundbreaking at the front of New York’s casino construction story rather than the sidelines. The three projects together are expected to generate more than a billion dollars a year in combined gaming tax revenue for the state and city once fully operational, a figure that would rival the annual gaming tax hauls of only a handful of other states. For a city that spent years debating whether full scale casinos belonged in its five boroughs, the sight of cranes rising simultaneously in Queens and the Bronx marks a genuine turning point for the local construction and hospitality economy.

Resorts World New York City Timeline and What Comes Next

Construction on Phase Two is underway immediately following the groundbreaking, with the hotel tower, arena and Kenny “The Jet” Smith Sports and Media Academy among the first elements to advance. Genting has pledged to deliver the sports and media academy three years earlier than originally promised and has moved it toward the center of the campus to make it more accessible. Company officials have pointed to strong early financial performance, including 230 million dollars in slot revenue during the casino’s first 11 weeks and a 30 percent jump in tax and racing support payments, as evidence the timeline is achievable. Under the terms of its state license, Resorts World must file quarterly progress reports to New York’s Gaming Facility Location Board for at least five years. Industry trackers place full completion of the gaming floor expansion around 2029, with the broader integrated resort, including all hotel towers and the arena, expected to wrap by 2031. Genting’s parent company also has two unrelated corporate matters in progress, the pending 561 million dollar sale of its Resorts World Catskills property and an effort to privatize its Genting Malaysia subsidiary, neither of which the company has tied to the Queens construction schedule.

Project Fact Sheet

• Project Name: Resorts World New York City Phase Two Expansion
• Location: South Ozone Park, Queens, New York City, at the former Aqueduct Racetrack
• Project Value: 5.5 billion dollars for the full integrated resort redevelopment
• Client/Owner: Genting Group, operating as Genting Americas East
• Architect: Perkins Eastman
• Key Components: 400 room Hyatt Regency hotel tower addition, 1,200 room Crockfords hotel, 7,000 seat multipurpose arena, Kenny “The Jet” Smith Sports and Media Academy, new central plaza and parking garage, 2 million square feet of added gaming, dining, retail and convention space
• Procurement Model: Privately financed development under a New York State downstate gaming license
• Construction Start: Phase Two groundbreaking held July 22, 2026
• Expected Completion: Gaming floor expansion targeted for 2029, full integrated resort buildout projected by 2031
• Jobs Created: 10,000 total jobs projected, including about 5,000 union construction jobs
• Environmental/Social Features: More than 10 acres of new public green space, a 2 billion dollar community benefits package, a 2.5 billion dollar commitment to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Strategic Impact: Expected to make Resorts World the largest casino in the United States by gross gaming revenue and a major contributor to New York’s public education fund

Project Team

• Client/Owner: Genting Group (Genting Americas East)
• Architect: Perkins Eastman
• Regulatory Body: New York State Gaming Commission
• Main Contractor: Not yet disclosed

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Resorts World New York City expansion cost? The full redevelopment is valued at 5.5 billion dollars, covering the hotel towers, arena and gaming floor additions.

When will the Resorts World New York City expansion be completed? The gaming floor portion is targeted for 2029, with the entire integrated resort expected to be finished by 2031.

Where is Resorts World New York City located? The property sits in South Ozone Park, Queens, on the site of the former Aqueduct Racetrack.

Who owns Resorts World New York City? The property is operated by Genting Americas East, part of the Genting Group, a global integrated resort operator.

What is included in Phase Two of the Resorts World New York City expansion? Phase Two adds a 400 room hotel tower, a 1,200 room Crockfords hotel, a 7,000 seat arena, a sports and media academy, a new plaza and a parking garage.