What to Know
- A Catskills casino promoted as an economic boost to the old New York resort area opened Thursday in a competitive regional market
- Resorts World Catskills is the fourth of four Las Vegas-style upstate casinos opening under a 2013 voter-approved amendment
- The casino will be part of a $1.2 billion resort complex that will include an entertainment village, an indoor waterpark and a golf course
A Catskills casino promoted as an economic boost to the old New York resort area opened Thursday in an increasingly competitive regional market.
Resorts World Catskills debuted in the heart of the old "Borscht Belt," in Monticello, New York, ahead of its original March 1 opening date.
It features an 18-story hotel, more than 150 table games and 2,150 slot machines about 80 miles northwest of New York City.
But it opens amid signs that the increasing number of casinos in the area are eating into each other's business.
Resorts World Catskills is the fourth of four Las Vegas-style upstate casinos opening under a 2013 voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that allows seven casinos to be built around the state, including New York City.
The casino will be the cornerstone of a $1.2 billion resort complex that will also include an entertainment village, an indoor waterpark lodge and an 18-hole golf course.
Locals hoping to revive the region have been trying to lure a casino for decades.
Resorts World Catskills is expected to draw gamblers from the lucrative metropolitan-area market.
Local
“With our opening, we look forward to driving tourism to the Catskills, stimulating the economy and making meaningful contributions that help put the Catskills back on the map as a premier getaway and true destination,” Charles A. Degliomini, executive vice president of Resorts World Catskills, said in a statement.
According to Resorts World Catskills, the casino resort is expected to provide more than 1,400 jobs to the region.
