Poker is a favorite past time of individuals who like to gamble as well as play card games. In the United States, several gaming venues are dotted along the nation that offer massive poker rooms where cash games, tournaments and special events take place. Several states are currently working on opening new gaming venues including New York. Residents as well as visitors to New York State will soon have access to brand new poker rooms, with the local economies to benefit from the new gaming revenues.
Working on Gaming
In 2013, a referendum was voted upon statewide involving the gaming industry that would pass muster, allowing for seven gaming venues in “Las Vegas style” to be created in the state. Soon after the selection of four developments began. Two of these venues are set to open in February which will mean new poker gaming and revenues for the state.
Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed the measure to see gaming added to the state and estimated that as much as $420 million in tax revenues could be produced by the venues. Construction of the casinos would create thousands of employment opportunities as well as employment for the casinos once completed.
Currently, the state offers casino gaming operated by Indian Tribes. To keep the tribes happy, the new developments had to be placed in areas away from these venues. Four areas were chosen for the first round of casino construction and included the Catskills, the Southern Tier, the Capital Region and one near the border of Pennsylvania.
New Gaming Venues offering Poker and More
The first new venue to open in the state was Tioga Downs. The racino simply had to add table games to be ready for operation which took only a short period of time. The next gaming venue to open will be the del Lago Resort and Casino which is scheduled for the 1st of February. This casino cost $425 million to construct and will offer 12 poker tables.
The new venue is operated by Rush Street Gaming and just a week later the company will open a second venue in New York, the Rivers Casino and Resort. Players will be able to try out the poker tables of the del Lago to then move on to the Rivers Casino to see what type of poker action is available.
The Rivers Casino will be larger, offering 51,000 square feet of gaming space. On the gaming floor, players will find fifteen poker tables as well as 1,150 slot games. Additional table games will be offered on-site as well.
The state will then offer three new gaming venues to basically start out 2017 on the right foot. Players will have plenty of opportunity to take part in poker gaming with events and tournaments to be included on the schedule. It will not be surprising to find the poker rooms teaming up with top brands or hosting unique events to bring in players to try out the new spaces.
What will 2018 Bring?
2017 is already a good year for the state when it comes to poker and casino gaming. Three venues will be in operation in just over a week and when combined with the tribal gaming options, players have plenty of opportunity to enjoy poker. In 2018, the fourth casino will be completed in Sullivan County. This venue is titled the Montreign Resort Casino and should open early next year. The cost of the venue is massive, at $1.25 billion. The property will include a hotel with 332 guest rooms, more than 100 table games and a poker room with 16 tables.