New York has no legal online casinos, but it has one of the biggest in-person gambling maps in the country: five commercial casinos, seven tribal casinos, eight video gaming racinos, the NYRA thoroughbred circuit and eight harness tracks. Which one you can walk into depends on your age as much as your address.
Commercial casinos: 4 upstate, plus Resorts World NYC
Voters approved commercial casinos in 2013, and four upstate resorts opened between 2016 and 2018: del Lago in Seneca County, Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County, Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady and Tioga Downs in Nichols, Tioga County. All four have slots, live tables and a retail sportsbook, and the minimum age is 21.
Resorts World New York City in Queens joined them after winning a downstate license on Dec. 15, 2025. It opened live table games on April 28, 2026, the first full casino inside the five boroughs, with more than 200 tables and 2,500-plus slots at launch.
The downstate licenses: two more NYC casinos coming
The state’s Gaming Facility Location Board picked three projects on Dec. 1, 2025, and the NY State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) approved them two weeks later. License fees total about $1.5 billion.
| Casino | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Resorts World NYC | Ozone Park, Queens | Open; full build-out targeted for 2031 |
| Hard Rock Metropolitan Park | Willets Point, Queens | Expected around 2030 |
| Bally’s Bronx | Ferry Point, Bronx | Expected around 2030 |
MGM withdrew its bid to turn Empire City in Yonkers into a full casino in October 2025. Empire City stays a video gaming facility.
Tribal casinos: Seneca, Oneida and Mohawk
Three nations run Class III casinos under state compacts, according to the NYSGC.
- Seneca Nation: Seneca Niagara in Niagara Falls, Seneca Allegany in Salamanca and Seneca Buffalo Creek in downtown Buffalo. The minimum age is 21. The Seneca compact was still unresolved in October 2026.
- Oneida Indian Nation: Turning Stone in Verona, New York’s first legal casino when it opened in 1993, plus Yellow Brick Road in Chittenango and Point Place in Bridgeport. The minimum age is 18.
- St. Regis Mohawk Tribe: Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg, near the Canadian border. The minimum age is 18.
Racinos: 8 video gaming facilities
Video lottery terminal (VLT) facilities, usually called racinos, offer slot-style machines but no live table games. The NYSGC lists eight:
- Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway
- Saratoga Casino Hotel
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack
- Resorts World Hudson Valley
- Hamburg Gaming at the Fairgrounds
- Vernon Downs Casino Hotel
- Batavia Downs Gaming
- Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino
The commission’s video lottery page still refers to nine facilities. The list changed as Monticello’s gaming floor closed in April 2019 and moved to Resorts World Catskills, and as Resorts World NYC, which ran Aqueduct’s VLT hall from 2011, became a commercial casino. Racinos admit players from 18. A bill from Sen. Addabbo, S2610, would raise that to 21, but it was still in committee in 2026.
Racetracks: NYRA’s two tracks and the harness circuit
Thoroughbred racing in New York now runs at two NYRA tracks. Belmont Park reopened on Sept. 18, 2026, after a $550 million rebuild and hosts the Belmont Stakes again on June 5, 2027. Saratoga’s summer meet drew 1,045,373 paying fans in 2026. Aqueduct ran its last race on June 28, 2026. Finger Lakes is the only thoroughbred track outside NYRA.
New York also has eight harness tracks, from Yonkers and Saratoga Harness to Goshen’s Historic Track, which has raced trotters since 1838. Pari-mutuel betting at the track is open at 18. Away from the track, you can bet the same races on licensed apps; our online horse betting guide ranks them.
Retail sportsbooks: where to bet at a counter
New York’s first legal sports bet was taken at Rivers Casino in Schenectady on July 16, 2019, two and a half years before mobile betting launched. Retail sportsbooks are limited to commercial and tribal casinos; racinos and racetracks don’t have them.
- Commercial casinos: all four upstate casinos run sportsbooks, from the BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers to The Sportsbook at del Lago. The age is 21.
- Seneca casinos: cash-only Sports Lounges opened at all three in late 2019. The age is 21.
- Oneida casinos: TS Sports, the Nation’s in-house brand since December 2023. The age is 18.
- Akwesasne: Sticks Sports Book & Grill. The age is 18.
One catch: state-licensed mobile apps geofence tribal land, so FanDuel or DraftKings won’t take a bet inside a Seneca, Oneida or Mohawk casino. Everywhere else in New York, anyone 21 or older can bet on one of the best NY sportsbook apps.
How old you need to be, venue by venue
| Venue | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Commercial casinos | 21 |
| Seneca casinos | 21 |
| Oneida casinos and Akwesasne | 18 |
| Racinos (VLT facilities) | 18 |
| Racetracks (pari-mutuel) | 18 |
| Retail sportsbooks | 21 at commercial and Seneca casinos; 18 at Oneida and Akwesasne |
Bring a valid photo ID wherever you go.
Every New York casino and racetrack we cover
Commercial casinos – Resorts World Catskills – Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady – del Lago Resort & Casino – Tioga Downs Casino – Resorts World New York City
Tribal casinos – Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino – Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino – Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino – Turning Stone Resort Casino – Yellow Brick Road Casino – Point Place Casino – Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort
Racinos with harness or thoroughbred racing – Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway – Saratoga Casino Hotel and Saratoga Harness – Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack – Vernon Downs Casino Hotel – Batavia Downs Gaming – Buffalo Raceway and Hamburg Gaming
NYRA thoroughbred tracks – Belmont Park and the Belmont Stakes – Saratoga Race Course – Aqueduct Racetrack (closed to racing)
Harness tracks without a casino – Monticello Raceway – Goshen Historic Track
21+ and physically in New York. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-877-8-HOPENY (467369).