After officially opening on February 8, the new Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady has reportedly posted a $3 million profit for its first week of operation with gross gaming revenues hitting almost $23.1 million.
According to official figures from the New York State Gaming Commission, the $330 million Schenectady County venue’s 1,150 slots recorded first-week gross takings of nearly $18.8 million while players dropped over $4.3 million at its 67 gaming tables and a further $111,492 via the property’s 15 poker tables.
“The first days of operation at Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady have been extremely successful and we’re very pleased with feedback we’ve heard from our guests and the enthusiasm shown by the community,” read a statement from operator Rush Street Gaming, which also runs the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh as well as the SugarHouse Casino and the Rivers Casino Des Plaines. “Our dedicated team members are continually making improvements to operations and the guest experience in these opening days and the excitement exhibited by our guests continues to drive us to always provide a superior entertainment experience.”
Local radio broadcaster WAMC reported that the Saratoga Casino Hotel, which is located only about 20 miles away in the city of Saratoga Springs, saw its gross gaming revenues drop by over 17% for the same week to approximately $37.8 million while Rush Street Gaming estimated that Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady is expected to attract some 2.8 million visitors during its first year of operation.
“This is Rush Street Gaming’s fourth ground-up casino development,” read a statement from Greg Carlin, Chief Executive Officer for Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming. “We look forward to being a great asset to the city and county of Schenectady, the capital region and the state of New York.”
Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady was one of?three upstate New York casinos to be awarded with licenses in 2015 while fellow newcomer the Del Lago Resort And Casino, which is located between the cities of Syracuse and Rochester, welcomed its first players on February 1. The third of the new gambling enterprises, the $1.2 billion Montreign Resort Casino in rural Sullivan County, is expected to open in March complete with an 80,000 sq ft casino featuring some 2,150 slots alongside 102 gaming tables.
“The new Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady is a vital economic asset for the capital region, generating new jobs and opportunity, continuing Schenectady’s resurgence and moving the region forward,” read a statement from New York governor Andrew Cuomo. “By supporting destination resorts across upstate New York, we are showing off the best of the “Empire State” while attracting new visitors, boosting tourism and helping support and strengthen our local communities.”
Along with its 50,000 sq ft casino, the Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady, which employs 1,025 people but expects to fill an additional 50 positions once its spa opens later in the year, will soon offer a 165-room hotel, a 1,800-space parking facility and a 10,000 sq ft conference hall that is capable of hosting up to 900 people.
“We have been witness to a dramatic transformation this year as the Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady quickly rose from an under-utilized industrial brownfield site,” read a statement from Schenectady mayor Gary McCarthy. “The Schenectady waterfront was once the site of great prosperity for the city and the region as the home of the American Locomotive Company [and] with the [Rivers Casino And Resort Schenectady] opening its doors and putting hundreds of people to work, that time has come again.”