Resorts World New York City, the Queens casino-hotel operated by global integrated resort operator Genting Group, has broken ground on Phase Two of its $5.5bn expansion.
The latest phase will add 1,600 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat arena, a sports and media complex, a central plaza, and new parking infrastructure to the resort campus. The groundbreaking comes less than three months after live table games and commercial casino slots opened at the property on 28 April.
Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of Genting Group, said work outside the existing building was beginning ahead of the schedule set out in the company’s proposal to New York State.
Phase Two adds hotels, arena, and sports complex
The hotel programme includes an additional 400-room tower connected to the existing Hyatt Regency and 1,200 rooms under Genting’s luxury Crockfords brand. When completed, the additions would take the resort’s room count from 400 to 2,000.
Phase Two also includes the Kenny “The Jet” Sports and Media Complex, which is now expected to open three years earlier than originally pledged. The facility has been moved to the centre of the campus to make it more accessible from other parts of the development.
A 7,000-seat multipurpose arena, central plaza, and new parking garage complete the main elements announced for the phase.
Resorts World said the full expansion would add two million sq ft of gaming, entertainment, dining, retail, and convention space to the existing one-million-sq-ft property. The company estimates that the project will create 10,000 jobs, including approximately 5,000 union construction positions.
Perkins Eastman is a design partner
New York-based architecture and design practice Perkins Eastman is a design partner on the wider transformation.
The practice designed a two-phase expansion for Resorts World to limit disruption to the operating resort while maintaining cohesion between its hotel and entertainment components. The plans include new gaming and meeting areas, dining and retail facilities, and hotel accommodation ranging from luxury suites to rooms intended for shorter business stays.
The project’s proximity to John F. Kennedy International Airport also informs the inclusion of conference and meeting facilities.
The wider development will include 2,000 hotel rooms, a 350,000 sq ft gaming floor with 6,000 slot machines and 800 gaming tables, more than 30 dining destinations, and community greenspace. An earlier announcement from Resorts World said more than 12 acres of new public greenspace were planned for the 72-acre Aqueduct site.
Groundbreaking follows April casino opening
The latest construction milestone follows the opening of New York City’s first full-service casino operation at Resorts World on 28 April. One floor opened with 242 live table games, including blackjack, craps, baccarat, and roulette, while another introduced 2,507 commercial casino slot machines.
The two gaming areas occupy the second and third floors of the existing Aqueduct building. Their opening formed the first component of Resorts World’s $5.5bn investment in the site.
Further gaming facilities are due to open progressively on the ground and first floors later in 2026. Resorts World added another 1,400 slot machines on 21 July and plans to introduce more gaming tables by the end of the year.
The property has operated in Southeast Queens since 2011 and currently employs approximately 2,500 people, more than half of whom are Queens County residents. Resorts World said it receives an average of five million visitors annually.
