The Yellow Brick Road Casino overview
The Yellow Brick Road Casino is a Wizard of Oz inspired Native American casino in Chittenango, New York.
The $20 million casino opened to the public in June 2015 and celebrates the community’s connection with the iconic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum. Baum was born in the Village of Chittenango. The book inspired the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
There was some controversy surrounding the casino’s opening, considering Baum wrote newspaper editorials supporting Native American genocide, but the project went ahead regardless. The Yellow Brick Road Casino is owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, which also owns and operates the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, NY. Turning Stone was New York State’s first land-based casino when it opened in 1993.
The Yellow Brick Road Casino opened up with slot machines and a Bingo Hall, but the Bingo Hall was converted to a table games floor in December 2015 in response to public demand. The property features a smoke-free environment with Wizard of Oz themed decor, promotions, and restaurants and bars.
A yellow brick road leads patrons to the casino which also features yellow brick tile and Oz-themed carpet throughout. There is also 16-foot high brass and steel tornado sculpture with a cash and prizes cyclone inside.
The Yellow Brick Road Casino is in Upstate New York, just twenty minutes east of the City of Syracuse. The casino is in the Tops Chittenango Plaza on Route 5 which also features a Wizard of Oz themed Tops supermarket.
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Wizard of Oz themed gaming space
The Yellow Brick Road Casino includes 60,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 440 slots and video poker machines. There are also upwards of a dozen table games.
The Yellow Brick Road Casino features dozens of popular and themed slots and gaming machines, including:
- Aladdin’s Fortune 3D
- Alice The Mad Teaparty
- Antony & Cleopatra
- Game King Multi Game
- Lucky Hot 7’s
- Quick Hit Platinum
- White Wizard
- Wicked Winning
- Wonder Woman Wild
- Wonder Women Gold
- Zeus
Table games on offer at the Yellow Brick Road Casino include:
- Blackjack
- Craps
- 3 Card Poker
- 4 Card Poker
- Spanish 21
- Mississippi Stud
- Big 6 Wheel
- Electronic Roulette
The Yellow Brick Road Casino also offers Keno throughout the property. There is a Keno lounge in Wizard Hall, and the game is available at bars, restaurants, and various digital displays.
The Yellow Brick Road Casino isn’t among the largest casino properties in the state, but the Wizard of Oz theme and partnerships with other local businesses and museums running with the same idea have turned it into a tourist destination with more than enough gaming space to handle the crowds. Patrons of the Yellow Brick Road Casino must be 18 or older to gamble.
Ready for iGaming now
Online casino gaming is not currently being considered by New York lawmakers. Should it ever be, the Yellow Brick Road Casino is expected to be an early adopter, considering it is owned and operated by the same Oneida Indian Nation that runs the Turning Stone Casino Resort. Turning Stone Online Casino already offers free-to-play casino games and online slots in New York through an app for iOs and Android devices. This includes online blackjack and online roulette games in NY.
The Turning Stone Online Casino app currently offers more than 50 free casino slots and table games that pay out rewards players can use on the property. The Yellow Brick Road Casino shares Turning Stone’s rewards program.
As early adopters with the software in place, Yellow Brick Road Casino would likely be ready, willing and able to offer online casino gaming should New York State lawmakers ever get behind the idea.
It is also worth noting the Oneida Indian Nation has taken on all legal challenges when it comes to its right to offer casino gambling, and would presumably fight for its legal right to offer iGaming in New York as well.
If and when online gambling is legalised in New York state we expect the biggest names to provide Empire Staters with the best igaming experiences, below is a selection of online casino operators we’d expect to be vying for your attention on launch.
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- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort
- Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel
- del Lago Resort & Casino
- Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway
- Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack
- Hamburg Gaming Buffalo Raceway
- Jake’s 58 Casino
- LakeSide Entertainment
- Monticello Gaming and Raceway
- Point Place Casino
- Resorts World Casino in New York
- Resorts World Catskills Casino
- Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady
- Saratoga Casino & Horse Racing
- Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino
- Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino
- Seneca Gaming in Salamanca
- Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
- Turning Stone Casino Resort
- Vernon Downs Casino Hotel & Race Track
Wizard of Oz themed online poker room?
Two identical bills which would legalize and regulate online poker in New York were introduced into the New York Senate and Assembly in the first quarter of 2017. Westchester Assemblyman and the State Assembly’s Chairman of the Committee on Racing and Wagering J. Gary Pretlow claimed there is very little standing in the way, and all of New York’s licensed casino and Racino properties support the idea.
This would presumably include the Yellow Brick Road Casino, considering its connection to the Turning Stone Casino Resort. There is no poker room at the Yellow Brick Road Casino, but Turning Stone hosts one of the largest Poker Rooms in the state, and regularly hosts major poker events.
Should the future of poker in New York include online poker rooms, a Wizard of Oz themed online poker offering from the Yellow Brick Road Casino would not be out of the question.
The Yellow Brick Road Casino: A tourist destination
The Yellow Brick Road Casino’s Wizard of Oz theme has helped turn the property into a tourist destination.
Alongside the casino, The Yellow Brick Road Casino also operates a Community Room with:
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- A 900 square foot conference area
- A 400 square foot pre-function area
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and 7’x7’ screen
- Audio visual rentals
- Catering options available
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The Yellow Brick Road Casino’s Wizard of Oz theme extends to all four restaurants and bars on the property, including:
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- Dorothy’s Farmhouse – counter-service restaurant serving home-style cooking
- Wicked Good Pizza – sit-down or take-out hand tossed pizza, wings, sandwiches and salads
- Heart and Courage Saloon – a country-western style bar
- Winged Monkey – cocktails and beer
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Property amenities also include the Oz General Store, which sells:
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- Tobacco products
- Pre-packaged food and beverages
- Other essentials
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Free rewards
Through its partnership with Turning Stone Resort Casino, the Yellow Brick Road Casino offers free membership in the TS Rewards Card program. Through casino game play, TS Rewards Card members can earn:
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- Exclusive benefits
- Offers
- Promotions
- Invitations to gaming tournaments
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Points earned with the card can also be redeemed for:
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- Merchandise
- Other services on the property
- Turning Stone Resort Casino accommodations