Nas Makes Big Plans For Queens By Joining Forces With Casino

Nas teamed up with Resorts World New York City to announce a $5 billion redevelopment plan for the Queens-based casino on Thursday (February 29). The casino sought a new gaming permit as it intended to expand its business with full Las Vegas-style gaming.

“This is an ambitious project that will give new opportunities to the hard-working families who call Queens home, attract top-tier talent, and build up the next generation of leaders,” Nas said. “Clearly, with this project, the world is ours.”

Resorts World New York City wowed to increase its workforce with 5,000 permanent union jobs in the casino if the permit is approved. Genting, the parent company of the casino, aimed to add a 7,000-seat performance space and 3,000 units of employee housing as part of the redevelopment.

“We’re proud to have grown with the Queens community for over a decade,” Genting Americas East president Robert DeSalvio said. “When we stood here more than a dozen years ago to break ground on Resorts World New York City, our vision extended well beyond that already-ambitious original plan – today, that vision can soon become reality.”

He added, “Since we opened in 2011, we have been proud to work with New York City and State and the local community to deliver thousands of good-paying union jobs; billions of dollars in tax revenue to New York’s schoolchildren; and true partnership to hundreds of local non-profits. With the advent of the newly imagined Resorts World New York City we can, and will, do far more.”

Betty Bratton, chair of Queens Community Board 10, supported the proposed expansion.

“Resorts World New York City came into our community more than a dozen years ago, and every day since has been a dedicated neighbor who shows up, hears our feedback, and responds to our needs,” she said. “They have been with us in good times and tough times ever since, giving both financial support and their time to this community. I know this partnership will only continue as Resorts World answers the immediate needs but also presents a vision for the future.”

Nas joined former NBA player and current TNT analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith as one of the celebrities involved in the redevelopment plan. The acclaimed rapper partnered with Resorts World New York City less than two years after Jay-Z led efforts to bring a casino to Times Square.