New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

Introduction to New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

New York slot machine casino gambling consists of four casino resorts, nine pari-mutuel racing racinos, and eleven tribal casinos. Each tribal casino has either Class II and Class III gaming machines. Cruise ships to international destinations with onboard casinos depart from the New York Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Canadian casinos in Ontario are readily available across the border from Buffalo and in Montreal.

Only VLTs at Class III tribal casinos have a legally set minimum payout return. Payout returns for the commercial casino resorts are the only statistics available to the public.

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This post continues the weekly series Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambling enthusiasts to success. Each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or the federal district.

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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: 21/18
• Poker Rooms: 21
• Bingo: 18
• Lottery: 18
• Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

The legal age for gambling is 21 for casinos run by the Seneca Nation of Indians through the Seneca Gaming Corporation, but 18 for other casinos in the state of New York.

Tribal casinos in the state of New York had only Class II bingo halls until 1993. That year, a successfully negotiated state-tribal compact was approved for Class III Vegas-style gaming by the federally-recognized St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

Per such tribal-state compacts, slot machines at all Class III tribal casinos are video lottery terminals (VLTs) controlled by the New York State Lottery. While these electronic games appear as typical video slot machines, the results of a bet are instead determined by the central lottery system.

At non-tribal casinos, the result of a bet on a slot machine is not determined by the state lottery server, but instead by a microchip in the machine itself or by a central computer located in the casino.

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*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in New York

It is legal to privately own a slot machine 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 was merged from the New York State Division of Lottery and the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. As a result, the Commission regulates all aspects of gaming activity in the state of New York including charitable gaming.

Casinos in New York

Residents of the state of New York have many types of casinos available to them, including:

• 4 commercial casino resorts
• 11 American Indian tribal casinos
  • 4 tribal casinos with Class II competition-style slots
  • 7 tribal casinos with Class III Vegas-style slots
• 9 pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines (racinos)
• Cruise ships departing from the New York Manhattan Cruise Terminal
• Canadian casinos across the border to the Province of Ontario
• Canadian casinos across the border to the Province of Quebec

The largest casino in New York is Resorts World Casino New York City in Jamaica, a pari-mutuel racino having 4,995 gaming machines and 475 table games.

The second largest casino is Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming having 3,300 gaming machines and 100 table games.

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List of Casinos in New York

The 13 casino resorts and pari-mutual wagering facilities with slot machines in New York are:

1. Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Batavia found 44 miles east of Buffalo.
2. Del Lago Resort & Casino a commercial casino in Waterloo found 47 miles west of Syracuse.
3. Empire City Casino a pari-mutuel racino in Yonkers found 22 miles North-northeast of New York City.
4. Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack a pari-mutuel racino in Farmington found 64 miles west of Syracuse.
5. Hamburg Gaming at The Fairgrounds a pari-mutuel racino in Hamburg found 13 miles south of Buffalo.
6. Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino a pari-mutuel racino in Islandia found 50 miles east of New York City.
7. Monticello Gaming & Raceway a pari-mutuel racino in Monticello found 95 miles northwest of New York City.
8. Resorts World Casino New York City a pari-mutuel racino in Jamaica, Queens found 17 miles east of New York City.
9. Resorts World Catskills a commercial casino in Kiamesha Lake found 96 miles northwest of New York City.
10. Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady a commercial casino in Schenectady found 128 miles east of Syracuse.
11. Saratoga Casino Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Saratoga Springs found 139 miles east of Syracuse.
12. Tioga Downs a commercial casino in Nichols found 102 miles south of Syracuse.
13. Vernon Downs Casino Hotel a pari-mutuel racino in Vernon found 39 miles east of Syracuse.

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List of Tribal Casinos in New York

The 11 Class II bingo-style and Class III Vegas-style tribal casinos in the state of New York are:

1. Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Hogansburg found 176 miles northeast of Syracuse on the Canadian border near Montreal, Quebec.
2. Lakeside Entertainment a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Union Springs found 41 miles southwest of Syracuse.
3. Point Place Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Bridgeport found 15 miles northeast of Syracuse.
4. Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Salamanca found 63 miles south of Buffalo.
5. Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Buffalo.
6. Seneca Gaming – Irving a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Irving found 29 miles southwest of Buffalo.
7. Seneca Gaming – Oil Spring a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Cuba found 69 miles southeast of Buffalo.
8. Seneca Gaming – Salamanca a tribal casino with Class II bingo-style gaming in Salamanca found 63 miles south of Buffalo.
9. Seneca Niagara Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Niagara Falls found 19 miles northwest of Buffalo on the Canadian border to Quebec.
10. Turning Stone Casino Resort a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Verona found 35 miles east of Syracuse.
11. Yellow Brick Road Casino a tribal casino with Class III Las Vegas-style gaming in Chittenango found 16 miles west of Syracuse.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying New York slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. New York is bordered by:

• North: 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 state-specific blog for that bordering state to New York.

Canadian casinos exist across the international border from the State of New York in the Niagara Falls area near Buffalo as well as the upstate New York area in Montreal.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Ontario government’s gaming control agency, is switching operators for the casinos near Buffalo in the summer of 2019. Individually, Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort will no longer be operated by Falls Management Group LP but instead by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.

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Payout Returns in New York

Given the many types of gaming regulations for slot machines in the state of New York, payout return limits and reporting statistics come in several varieties. I will review each.

Class II competition-style electronic gaming machines at tribal casinos are subject to tribal-state compacts only, which do not set limits nor require public reporting.

Class III Vegas-style tribal casinos have VLTs controlled by the New York State Lottery. These VLT slot machines have a minimum payout return of 92%. No actual payout return statistics are publicly available.

Betting results for slot machines at commercial casino resorts and pari-mutuel racinos are controlled on location per usual machine internal microchip or casino central server.

Commercial casino resorts and pari-mutuel racinos do not appear to have a minimum payout return limit. Actual payout returns are publicly available for both from the state gaming commission, but on separate webpages. These are weekly and monthly reports.

Be aware that win% is not provided directly in the monthly reports. For slots, a small calculation is necessary. Specifically, divide the Credits Won column by the Credits Played column then multiply the result by 100% to get the percentage of payout returned to the player.

For the weekly reports, the formula for win% is slightly different. In these reports, Credits Won is not directly available but calculated by adding together the two columns Promotional Slot Gaming Credits and Slot ETG GGR.

These reports are in pdf format but also as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which, if you already use and have Excel, makes this calculation relatively easy. The payout return for the current fiscal year is at the bottom of the Credits Won column.

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Payout return statistics for each casino resort is publicly available at the Commission’s Commercial Gaming Reports webpage. The monthly payout return for February 2019 at each casino resort was:

1. Del Lago Resort & Casino: 90.79%
2. Resorts World Catskills: 90.98%
3. Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady: 90.55%
4. Tioga Downs: 91.38%

In February 2019, the highest payout return for a commercial casino resort was at Tioga Downs with 91.38% while the lowest payout return was at Rivers Casino with 90.55%.

Payout return statistics for VLT-style video slot machines at racinos is publicly available at the Commission’s Video Gaming Reports webpage. The monthly payout return for February 2019 at each racino including an entry for all racinos in the state was:

1. Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel: 91.52%
2. Empire City Casino: 92.99%
3. Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack: 92.18%
4. Hamburg Gaming at The Fairgrounds: 91.53%
5. Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino: 93.88%
6. Monticello Gaming & Raceway: 92.44%
7. Nassau Downs at Resorts World New York City: 97.39%
8. Resorts World New York City: 94.17%
9. Saratoga Casino Hotel: 92.17%
10. Vernon Downs Casino Hotel: 91.40%

In February 2019, the highest payout return for a pari-mutuel racino was at Nassau Downs at Resorts World New York City with 97.39% while the lowest payout return was at Vernon Downs with 91.40%. For the same month, the overall state total was 94.08%.

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 freely join this closed Facebook Group.

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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 or near New York. Come join us!

Summary of New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019

New York slot machine casino gambling consists of four casino resorts, nine racinos, four tribal casinos with Class II bingo-style machines, and seven tribal casinos with Class III Vegas-style slots. Residents of the state of New York also have international cruise ships and Canadian casinos available to them.

Only VLTs at Class III tribal casinos have a legally set minimum payout return, which is 92%, as they are operated by the state lottery. Tribal casinos do not offer payout return statistics, but casino resorts and racinos have extensive weekly and monthly public reports available online.

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Annual Progress in New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling

The Monticello Casino & Raceway has announced it will be closing on April 23, 2019, at which point it will be uniting with Resorts World Catskills.

In the summer of 2019, the Ontario casinos across the Canadian border from Buffalo will be changing operators to Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment as arranged by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Ontario government agency responsible for conducting and managing casino gaming in Ontario.

The number of slot machines at Resorts World Casino New York City have been reduced by 10%, from 5,550 to 4,995. Finally, in the last year the new Class III Vegas-style tribal casino Point Place Casino opened in Bridgeport.

2018 Archive: New York Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2018 – New York slot machine casino gambling currently consists of 23 casinos. Video Lottery Terminals slot machines at Class III tribal casinos are required to have a minimum payout return of 92%. Actual payout returns for slot machines at commercial casinos and racinos are publicly reported for each 4-month fiscal quarter.

Related Articles from Professor Slots

• 11 Things You Need To Know About American Indian Tribal Casinos – Tribal gaming is involved, even sophisticated, in terms of legal, regulatory, political, and economic factors. It’s one of the least understood segments of the U.S. gaming industry. This summary article on American Indian tribal casinos helps slot machine casino gamblers better understand the tribal casinos they visit.

Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots

• Online Resource: A State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series – This online resource for slot machine casino gamblers summaries a third year of 56 weekly posts for each U.S. state, territory, and the federal district. Slots players begin here to learn about the slots gaming industry in each U.S. gaming jurisdiction. This summary article links to 56 individual state-specific posts useful to slots players.
• Previous: New Mexico Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019 – New Mexico slot machine casino gambling consists of 5 racinos, 21 tribal casinos, and 60 non-profit organizations. Tribal casinos have an 80% payout return. All other slot machine locations have payout returns from 80% to 96%. Payout statistics are unavailable from tribal casinos or commercial and non-profit licensees.
• Next: North Carolina Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2019 – North Carolina slot machine casino gambling consists of 2 tribal casinos operated by Caesars Entertainment. Payback returns are between 83% and 98%. The state receives no actual payback return information nor is any publicly available. All video games are Class III, but each must also include an element of skill or dexterity.