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Empire City to resume at 25% capacity

MGM Resorts has announced it will reopen its Empire City Casino in Yonkers, New York at 10am on September 21. In the same press release, the hotel and gaming operator indicated that business at its Park MGM Las Vegas casino is set to resume “within the next 30-45 days”, which translates to between October 9 and 24.

MGM tweeted its Empire City comeback with a post entitled “Get ready, Yonkers!”:

As per the protocols announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on September 3, Empire City will initially reopen at 25% capacity. MGM also said “certain MLife members” could gain access to the Northeast casino earlier than September 21, but on an invitation-only basis.

Under reopening regulations, many of Empire City’s 4,700 slot machines and electronic table games will be disabled and chairs removed. Bars must remain closed and food and drinks are not permitted on the gaming floor. The Empire City Chophouse, The Pub, and The Big Kitchen food court will all open for dining.

Empire City has been shuttered for over six months, following its March 16 closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Live racing at Empire City’s Yonkers Raceway continues to operate on a revised schedule behind closed doors. The New York Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law currently prohibits on-property betting.

Pain and solace

CEO and president of MGM Resorts Bill Hornbuckle went on record as saying that Empire City’s reopening followed an “unimaginably difficult and challenging time”. On August 28, MGM Resorts International announced it was letting go 180,000 US employees. Hornbuckle delivered the news to workers in a separation letter, pronouncing: “Nothing pains me more”.

cash donations totaling $225,000

Despite the COVID-19-influenced job cuts, MGM has been doing its bit for the New York community. In total, it presented cash donations totaling $225,000 and a food donation equating to 20,000 meals. Its biggest cash donation was $150,000 to New York’s Health Research, Inc., which empowered first responders and essential workers to disburse $5,000 grants to eligible households.

Thanking healthcare and essential workers and other community stalwarts, Hornbuckle said his organization welcomed its Empire City team back “with strong emotion” and that MGM’s “commitment to New York has never been stronger”.

Meanwhile, over in Vegas

Hornbuckle’s proclamation that Park MGM in Las Vegas is to reopen in October must come as a huge relief for the operator and its employees. With the Four Seasons Hotel in Sin City taking reservations from September 15, all of MGM’s US properties are, or soon will be, back in action.

guaranteed health benefits for 24,000 of its idle workers

As in New York, MGM is active within the Nevada community. When it announced it would assist its working parents with discounted child care and tutoring on August 21, it was the only ‘Big Six’ Nevada casino operator to do so. Then, on August 31, MGM signed an agreement with two Las Vegas unions which guaranteed health benefits for 24,000 of its idle workers through March 1, 2021.

MGM Resorts shuttered all of its properties in March. It began reopening its Sin City properties in June, following clearance from Nevada’s gaming regulators.

Empire City Casino reopened today, about six months after the Yonkers gambling hub was forced to shut down because of the coronavirus.

Empire City's doors reopeneed at 10 a.m. as it became the state's latest casino to resume operations after the pandemic. The casino can only operate at 25% capacity, in accordance with state guidelines.

The casino, owned by MGM Resorts, will operate under stringent modifications, including requiring all guests to wear masks, according to a reopening plan posted on its website. Patrons will also need to complete a health screening and have a temperature check before entry.

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Valet service and bar service won't be available and some machines won't be available to ensure social distancing.

Live racing at Yonkers Raceway on the casino property resumed in June. Spectators are still prohibited from races and no on-site waging is allowed.

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Hand sanitizer dispensers and washing stations are located throughout the casino as are disinfecting wipes.

Empire City Casino Senior Vice President of Operations and CFO Ed Domingo called it an “unbelievable' feeling to have staff members and customers back. The top priority for the casino is to keep everyone healthy, he said.

“It was a long time coming here in Yonkers and Westchester County,” Domingo said.

Evelyn Garcia, of The Bronx, was one of the customers who came back Monday.

“I’ve been locked up for six months,” she said.

The casino, which is the largest private employer in Yonkers, furloughed about 1,000 workers in May as the virus kept Empire City's doors closed.

MGM CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle in a May 5 letter called the furloughs 'the most challenging period ever faced by our company and industry' and said he was unsure how many employees would return before the end of the year.

The company has welcomed back more than half if its workforce for the reopening, a spokesperson told The Journal News/lohud.

MGM Resorts bought Empire City Casino and Yonkers Raceway in early 2019 for $850 million.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: With modifications in place, Empire City Casino reopens in Yonkers