New York City is one of the most visited cities in the world but there’s one area where it lags behind most of its international peers – casinos.
Unlike other tourist destinations like London, Paris, and Macau where travelers can enjoy a couple of hours playing tables or slots, there are no casinos in New York City. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play casino games when you’re visiting New York City, either through online casinos or local casinos.
New York online casinos are a great, accessible option if you want to gamble in the Big Apple at your own convenience. But if you prefer an in-person casino experience over playing online, there are several casinos for you to explore within a few hours’ drive.
Here are the best casinos near New York City.
Resorts World Catskills
One of the most recently opened resorts near New York City is Resorts World Catskills. Located on the Kiamesha Lake’s shore, this casino was built on the site of the former Concord Hotel.
Like the other best casinos near New York City, this resort has a wide selection of games. Resorts World Catskill has 2,150 slot games and 120 table games housed in 65,000 square feet of gambling area. After gambling, you can spend some of your winnings at the entertainment village, called The Alder, which opened in December 2018.
The Yellow Brick Road
The Yellow Brick Road Casino and Sportsbook is owned by the Oneida Indian Nation and is situated in Chittenango, New York. As the name suggests, the casino is themed after the popular book and film The Wizard of Oz. Its author, L.Frank Baum, was from Central New York.
A replica of Dorothy’s house can be found there but aside from all the Oz-related decor, the casino has 64,000 square feet of gambling area with 400 slots and more than 50 tables for your recreation.
Borgata
The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa is the top-grossing casino in Atlantic City and one of the best casinos near New York City. With over 2,000 suites and guest rooms, it is the biggest hotel in the state of New Jersey.
If you’re looking for some major casino action, Borgata is the place for you. It boasts a total gambling area of 120,000 square feet with 4,000 slot games, 180 table games, and 50 poker tables.
Caesars
Caesars Atlantic City is one of the largest casinos in Atlantic City with 145,000 square feet of gaming area. Formerly known as the Caesars Boardwalk Regency, it’s designed after the Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.
Casino activities are divided into four spaces, namely, the Asian-themed Palace East, a table area, poker room, and the second-floor slots casino which has 3,000 slot machines. Amenities like the Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill and the Playground Pier Shopping Mall makes Caesars one of the best casinos near New York City.
Tropicana
The last of our five best casinos near New York City is another colossus. The Tropicana Atlantic City is one of New Jersey’s largest resort hotels with 2,400 luxury guest rooms and suites. It has 125,000 square feet of gaming space and offers 2,400 slots and 132 table games.
The Tropicana originally opened in 1919 as the Ambassador Hotel. It was the site of the infamous Atlantic City Conference, where organized crime bosses like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano negotiated their territorial rights.