Empire City Casino Celebrates 15 Years and $4 Billion for Education
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Photo by Adobe Stock | Aerial Mike
The Yonkers-based casino isn’t just churning out lotto numbers and slots champions, but it’s boosting the economy of the state, too.
Fifteen years after the video lottery casino made its way to Yonkers, Empire City Casino continues to hit the jackpot for Westchester County. Acquired by MGM Resorts in January of 2019, the former family-owned gaming destination now boasts the sixth largest gaming floor in the country and the largest in MGM Resort’s portfolio.
The premier casino marked its milestone anniversary by surpassing the $4 billion mark in funds generated for New York State education since opening back in October 2006. This includes more than $1.3 billion generated over the last five years, showing the ever-growing potential of the property for the future.
That $4 billion-plus represents nearly forty percent of the total funds generated for education by all video lottery terminal (VLT) casinos across the state, demonstrating the leading role Empire City Casino plays in the economic health and growth of New York. In 2019 alone, prior to its March 2020 pandemic closure, Empire City generated $307 million for state education. To top that off, the casino has averaged $25 million per month for education over the last 15 years.
“MGM Resorts is proud to call New York home and is fully committed to this great state,” said Empire City Senior Vice President and General Manager Ed Domingo. “Our investment in Empire City Casino is an investment in New York. This is an exciting time as we reflect on the past 15 years of success and look ahead towards continuing to expand our offerings as a hospitality and entertainment company. We can’t wait to see what the next 15 years bring.”
Empire City has historically been the largest private employer in Yonkers (which was just recently named New York State’s third-largest city), with over 1,000 employees and an annual payroll that exceeds $80 million. Over 75 percent of employees are unionized labor, a majority of that percentage being local county residents, mostly hailing from Yonkers and Mount Vernon.
The casino’s large-scale philanthropy doesn’t end at education. The business actively supports a variety of local causes and organizations throughout the year, including Feeding Westchester, World Central Kitchen, Health Research Inc. for first responder grants, and after-school programs. In continuation of its focus on supporting local and regional businesses to keep New York dollars in the state, Empire City spends more than $30 million annually with neighboring businesses and suppliers within a twenty-mile radius of the property, stimulating the surrounding economy and keeping that flow of money within neighboring communities. So even if your blackjack hand doesn’t pan out well for you in the casino, you can walk away knowing that your money will help the boom of small businesses and educational future of kids across the county and statewide.
