Full-scale, downstate casino gaming in New York will be brand new when they first open their doors within the next few years.
But one of the properties considered a front-runner to receive one of the three licenses, MGM Empire City, has a deep and storied history in the Empire State. In fact, racing has been taking place at the site since before that location even had a racetrack.
People were bringing their fastest horse to race against other horses at the dusty Empire City grounds in Yonkers since at least the years immediately following the Civil War.
Since that time, and including many decades when there has been an official track at Empire City, several noted equines have galloped their way across the dirt, including legendary Seabiscuit. Twice, that famed undersized horse won races at Empire City Race Track.
In 1937, Seabiscuit claimed first place in The Butler Handicap and Yonkers Handicap, thrilling thousands of fans seated in the wooden bleachers at the famed track located at the juncture of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers.
Just a short distance from Manhattan and the center of New York city, Yonkers and the race track was popular entertainment for many New Yorkers for more than a century.
MGM Empire City the next chapter in storied history of Yonkers
Empire City Casino sits in the spot of what was the raceway now, but MGM Resorts bought the former Empire City Casino in 2019, and still operates it as a racino, with limited gaming options.
If it obtains one of the three downstate licenses, which could authorize MGM to join the NY online casino industry once lawmakers legalize iGaming, MGM will do a complete makeover of Empire City to convert it to a full-scale casino.
- At least a 160,000-square-foot gaming floor, one of the largest in the country
- Latest slot machines
- Live-dealer table games
- Poker rooms
- 5,000-seat theater to host music and other entertainment events
- BetMGM Sportsbook & Lounge with 112-foot wrap-around LED screen
- At least two new restaurants, including a premium steakhouse and Italian eatery.
MGM Resorts projects that as many as 10,000 jobs could be created throughout the development and with launch. No date has been set for a possible opening.
Bill Hornbuckle, president and CEO for MGM Resorts, sees MGM Empire City as a transformative venue for New York, calling it a “full-scale casino and entertainment destination [that] will provide unparalleled experiences, create thousands of jobs, boost the state’s economy.
“MGM Resorts has a long and proud history of delivering world-class entertainment and gaming experiences, and we couldn’t be more excited to build on that track record at MGM Empire City,” Hornbuckle said in a press statement about the development last November.
With a nod to the history of Empire City, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano shared his enthusiasm for a project that will make the area even more attractive for visitors:
“Generations of Yonkers residents have worked at, enjoyed, and supported this historic property for 125 years, and I am excited about the significant impacts this project will have for residents now and for the next 125 years.”
Looking back on the history of Empire City
The first official racetrack at Empire City debuted on October 22, 1900. That month, the Wright Brothers tested their first manned glider in North Carolina, as they embarked on a journey that led to airplanes and eventually jet travel. That was also the year that Hawaii became a US territory, and the first Hershey bar was produced.
Chocolate bars were far from the minds of the first jockeys who tossed their legs over their horses for claim races and the like at Empire City.
“The first track was was an oval of one mile with a seating capacity of 6,000,” Michael Veitch, historian for the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, told PlayNY.
“In its early years, it struggled to compete with the top tracks in the metropolitan area and also with Saratoga, racing in an on-again off-again pattern. This changed when purchased by James Butler in 1907, who received support from Matt Winn of Churchill Downs.”
It wasn’t the last time ownership made an impact at Empire City.
NFL’s Rooney family left fingerprints on Empire City
In the 1970s, Art Rooney bought the track. The Rooney family, which has owned the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL since its inception, raised the profile of the track.
But in the golden days of the track, in the 1920s and 1930s, many of the speediest horses in the country dug their hooves into the dirt of Yonkers.
As Veitch put it, Empire City “attracted some major stars.”
Famous thoroughbreds that won stakes at Empire include Roamer (The Mount Vernon in 1916), Grey Lag (The Empire Derby in 1921), Sarazen (The Fleetwing Handicap 1924), and Seabiscuit when he took over the sports pages and became a national hero in 1937.
According to Veitch, harness racing was the first type of racing at the locale, as far back as the 1860s. It was reintroduced at Empire City Raceway in 1943, when thoroughbred racing ended.
Now, MGM looks to take Empire City to the next level. Three downstate casino licenses are up for grabs. And with these deep roots and with a transformative vision for the future, it should come as no surprise that Empire City Casino holds favorable odds to be one of those three recipients.
