Introduction to New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling
New York slot machine casino gambling consists of eleven tribal casinos, eight pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, four casino resorts, and two nearby Canadian casinos.
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I’ve dedicated this series to slot enthusiasts such as yourself by using my State-By-State Online Resource for U.S. Casino Slots Enthusiasts to improve your slots gambling performance by reviewing your state’s slots gaming industry.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in New York
The minimum legal gambling age in New York depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21, 19, and 18
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
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The legal gambling age is 21 for casinos owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians, but 18 for other casinos in New York. At Canadian casinos in the province of Ontario, the minimum legal gambling age is 19. For the province of Quebec, it’s 18.
Until 1993, tribal casinos in the state of New York had only Class II bingo halls. That year, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe negotiated a state-tribal compact for Class III Vegas-style slot machines.
As a result, all Class III tribal casinos have video lottery terminals (VLTs) controlled by the New York State Lottery. While these electronic games appear to be typical video slot machines, the results of a bet are instead determined off-site by a central lottery system.
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Slot Machine Private Ownership in New York
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of New York if it is 30 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in New York
Created in 2012, the New York State Gaming Commission has merged from the New York State Division of Lottery and the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.
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Currently, this Commission regulates all aspects of gaming activity in the state of New York including charitable gaming.
Casinos in New York
There are eleven tribal casinos, eight pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, and four casino resorts in the state of New York.
The largest casino in New York is Empire City Casino.
The second-largest casino is Resorts World Casino New York City.
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The State of New York has an extraordinary gaming industry because of the many types of casinos available to its residents. New York has tribal casinos with and without tribal compacts, casino resorts, racinos, cruise ships, and even readily accessible international casinos just across the border to Canada.
Commercial Casinos in New York
The eight racetracks with slot machines (racinos) in New York are:
- Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel in Batavia, 44 miles east of Buffalo.
- Empire City Casino, 22 miles North-northeast of New York City.
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in Farmington, 64 miles west of Syracuse.
- Hamburg Gaming Buffalo Raceway at The Fairgrounds, 13 miles south of Buffalo.
- Jake’s 58 in Islandia, 50 miles east of New York City.
- Resorts World Casino New York City in Jamaica, Queens, 17 miles east of New York City.
- Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, 139 miles east of Syracuse.
- Vernon Downs Casino Hotel in Vernon, 39 miles east of Syracuse.
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The four casino resorts in New York are:
- del Lago Resort Casino in Waterloo, 47 miles west of Syracuse.
- Resorts World Catskills in Kiamesha Lake, 96 miles northwest of New York City.
- Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, 128 miles east of Syracuse.
- Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols, 102 miles south of Syracuse.
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Tribal Casinos in New York
The seven tribal casinos with Class III Vegas-style slot machines in New York are:
- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg, 176 miles northeast of Syracuse on the Canadian border.
- Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, 15 miles northeast of Syracuse.
- Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, 63 miles south of Buffalo.
- Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo.
- Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, 19 miles northwest of Buffalo on the Canadian border to Quebec.
- Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, 35 miles east of Syracuse.
- YBR Casino & Sports Book in Chittenango, 16 miles west of Syracuse.
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The four tribal casinos with Class II bingo-style gaming machines in New York are:
- Lakeside Entertainment in Union Springs, 41 miles southwest of Syracuse.
- Seneca Gaming – Irving in Irving, 29 miles southwest of Buffalo.
- Seneca Gaming – Oil Spring in Cuba, 69 miles southeast of Buffalo.
- Seneca Gaming – Salamanca in Salamanca, 63 miles south of Buffalo.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying New York slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering New York is:
- North: The Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec
- East: Connecticut Slots, Massachusetts Slots, and Vermont Slots
- South and West: Pennsylvania Slots and New Jersey Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to New York.
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Canadian casinos are across the international border from the State of New York in the Niagara Falls region near Buffalo as well as in Montreal near upstate New York.
Otherwise, cruise ships with onboard casinos depart from the New York Manhattan Cruise Terminal for international destinations.
Our New York Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in New York? If so, join our new New York slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
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There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in New York. Join us!
Theoretical Payouts and Return Statistics in New York
Each casino type in New York has its own gaming regulations, so theoretical payout limits and return statistics have several varieties. I’ll review them.
- Class II competition-style gaming machines at tribal casinos are subject to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a federal law, which does not set payout limits nor require public reporting of return statistics.
- Class III Vegas-style slot machines at tribal casinos are subject to tribal-state gaming compacts stating VLTs are controlled off-site by the New York State Lottery. These VLTs have a minimum theoretical payout limit of 92%. No return statistics are publicly available.
- Commercial casino resorts do not have theoretical payout limits. Return statistics are publicly available as weekly and monthly reports. See the Commercial Gaming Reports tab at the NY State Gaming Commission.
- Commercial racetracks with their video slot machines do not have theoretical payout limits. Return statistics are publicly available as weekly and monthly reports. See the Video Gaming Reports tab at the NY State Gaming Commission.
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Regarding monthly return statistics for the commercial sites, player win percentage is available only after performing a simple calculation. Specifically, divide Credits Won by Credits Played and then multiply the result by 100% to get Player Win%.
The monthly Player Win% for February 2020 at each casino resort was:
- del Lago: 90.4%
- Resorts World Catskills: 90.7%
- Rivers: 90.8%
- Tioga Downs: 91.6%
In February 2020, the highest return for a casino resort was at Tioga Downs with 91.6% while the lowest return was at del Lago with 90.4%.
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The monthly Player Win% for February 2020 at each commercial racetrack with video slot machines was:
- Batavia Downs: 91.6%
- Empire City: 93.4%
- Finger Lakes: 92.1%
- Hamburg Gaming: 91.5%
- Jake’s 58: 93.8%
- Nassau Downs: 97.4%
- Saratoga: 92.2%
- Vernon Downs: 91.8%
In February 2020, the highest return for a pari-mutuel racino was at Nassau Downs at Resorts World New York City with 97.4% while the lowest return was at Hamburg Gaming with 91.5%. For the same month, the overall state total was 94.1%.
Summary of New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling
New York slot machine casino gambling consists of eleven tribal casinos, eight racinos, four casino resorts, multiple cruise ships sailing out of New York City to international destinations, and two nearby casinos across the border to Canada.