[toc]Most gamblers love nothing more than finding a new place to play. As a result, 2018 is shaping up as a great year for gamblers on the East Coast. Mostly because there are a number of new and revamped casino properties schedule to open or start construction.
Here’s a look at four East Coast casinos with big plans for the new year its really easy to get excited about:
MGM Springfield
When MGM Springfield opens in September 2018 it will become the first real Las Vegas-style casino in Massachusetts.
A slots parlor opened up at Plainridge Park Casino in June 2015, but slots parlors and Las Vegas-style casinos are two different things. Plus, the state’s other massive commercial casino project, Wynn Boston Harbor, isn’t schedule to open until 2019. Therefore, 2018 will be MGM Springfield’s year to shine.
List of casinos in the U.S. State of Florida; Casino City County State District Type Comments Big Easy Casino: Hallandale Beach: Broward: Florida: Racino: Calder Casino & Race Course.
- Connecticut is home to one of the world’s largest casinos - Foxwoods Casino. Different states have different legal agreements regarding Indian casinos. Depending on the agreement made, these Indian casinos can offer either Class II gaming or Class III gaming.
- Atlantic City is by far the gaming and gambling capital of the East Coast, with 13 world-class casinos and thousands of high-end games and machines. Plus, you can also make it a great family trip as there are quite a few things to do in Atlantic City with kids.
The $960 millionMGM complex is currently under construction in Springfield’s South End neighborhood.
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When it is finished, MGM Springfield is going to feature 760,000 square feet of interior space. Inside, MGM is planning a 270-room, four-star luxury hotel with 45,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. There’s also going to be a 7,000 square-foot spa and 55,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
When it comes to gambling, players can expect to find 3,000 slot machines, 100table games, a poker room, and a high-limit VIP gaming area.
The development is also expected to feature an entertainment square. Further entertainment amenities including retail space, restaurants, bars, a movie theater, a bowling facility and an outdoor plaza are part of the plans as well.
That’s a lot to get excited about. MGM Springfield officials claim the project remains on target for a September 2018 opening.
Resorts World Catskills
The fourth, final, and easily most impressive of the four new commercial casino properties approved by the state of New York is scheduled to open in March 2018.
To say the $1.2 billionResort World Catskills is going to be big would be a massive understatement.
Construction is just wrapping up in Kiamesha Lake in Upstate New York near Monticello. The property is on the same land that once housed the Concord Hotel Catskills resort. Think Dirty Dancing, and remember, nobody puts Resort World Catskills in a corner.
The original plan was to call it Montreign. However, operator Empire Resorts entered into a licensing agreement with casino giant Resorts World and its Malaysian owner TheGenting Group. They decided on a re-branding in the spring of this year.
The 18-story Catskills casino and hotel will feature 332 luxury suites, a spa and salon, two pools, two fitness centers, and a 2,000-person event room.
The casino will include a 100,000 square-foot gaming floor with 134 table games and more than 2,100 state-of-the-art slot machines. There are also plans to include private gaming salons and a 19-table poker room.
Further resort amenities include a Rees Jones-redesigned 18-hole golf course. Plus, there are plans for a 24-hour cafe and several bars and restaurants. That include a high-end Italian steakhouse run by the Food Network’s Scott Conant.
There’s more, but we’re running out of space and have already listed enough amenities to get excited about. Even if they are all hidden up in the Catskills, a fair distance from civilization.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
Hard Rock International is attempting to rebuild the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal and Atlantic City’s image in one go.
It’s now planning to unveil the results of those efforts when the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opens in New Jersey the summer of 2018.
With 2,400 slots and 130 table games, the casino will be one of the biggest in town. However, there’s a whole lot more to this project than just a casino.
Hard Rock is completely redesigning the Taj interior. There will be first-class food and beverage options, including a newly relocated Hard Rock Cafe Atlantic City with 400 seats, an improved stage, and beach access.
Plus, developers are promising the property will become the premier entertainment destination in Atlantic City. To that end, they are building two separate arenas with more than 7,000 seats that will feature live music, sporting events, conferences, and shows.
Macon
They are rebuilding all entries into the property, and renovating every hotel room. Plus, Hard Rock is redesigning the decor property-wide to feature part of the company’s massive collection of music memorabilia, with a special nod to musicians and artists who call New Jersey home.
There are even plans to put in a Rockstop Gas & Wash gas station outside.
Wetumpka
It was Atlantic City’s highest-grossing casino through the 1990s. However, the Taj has become a symbol of the Atlantic City Boardwalk’s ongoing decay in recent years.
Hard Rock is bringing some excitement back to the property and the area surrounding it, just when it really needs it.
Alabama
Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia
The $600 millionLive! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia was originally slated to open in the first quarter of 2018. After finally jumping through a bunch of regulatory hoops and satisfying state casino ownership laws, the opening date has been pushed to 2020. However, construction will begin in 2018, and that gives us more than enough to get excited about.
Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia, is going up in South Philadelphia,right by all the city’s sports stadiums. That should make it a year-round destination for fans of gambling and sports, two peas from the same modern-day entertainment pod.
In fact, the project is already calling itself the first comprehensive gaming, resort, entertainment, and sports destination in the United States.
The casino will feature 2,000 slot machines and 125 game tables. The attached hotel will have more than 200 rooms. Plus, there are plans for a 2,600-square-foot parking garage as well. Tailgate!
It’s a little early, but you can color us excited already.
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