Resorts World NYC Plans $5B Expansion, Seeks New Gaming Permit
Resorts World New York City and rap icon Nas unveiled a $5 billion redevelopment of the only casino in the five boroughs on Thursday.
commercialobserver.com
Resorts World New York City and rap icon Nas unveiled a $5 billion redevelopment of the only casino in the five boroughs on Thursday, which executives said will reshape the southeast Queens neighborhood in which it sits.
The plans call to create retail spaces, 1,600 new hotel rooms for casino patrons, 30 new opportunities for food and beverage vendors, a 7,000-seat performance space, as well as 3,000 units of employee housing, Genting executives announced in the lobby of the Jamaica, Queens casino.
The casino floor itself will be expanded to 350,000 square feet, which Genting — the umbrella corporation that owns Resorts World — says will be the largest gambling facility in the world. Genting did not immediately disclose how large the current casino space is.
And the fight for a new casino permit could add another chapter to a seemingly dormant rap beef.
Resorts World partnered with Queens native Nas to boost its casino bid. Meanwhile, SL Green Realty and Ceasars Entertainment tapped Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for its push to build a casino in Times Square.
Jay-Z and Nas had a long-simmering feud starting in the mid-90s, with the two trading barbs on several songs throughout the years, most notably Jay-Z’s “Takeover” and Nas’ “Ether.” The two seemingly put the beef to bed in 2005 when Nas joined Jay-Z on stage, according to Highsnobiety.
