New slots unveiled at the soon-to-open Resorts World Catskills

Casino executives showed off the first of the 2,157 slot machines they’ll receive this week at the US$ 1.2 billion, 1.6-million-square-foot, five-star casino and entertainment complex.

The machines, which cost an average of between US$ 20,000 and US$ 25,000 and as much as US$ 50,000, will debut when the casino opens March 1 at the former Concord Resort Hotel property.

“You should feel like you’re stepping into a casino in Las Vegas,” said Ryan Eller, president and CEO of the property’s parent company, Empire Resorts.

But won’t the 24/7, 365-days-a-year casino face tough sledding with so many gaming options in the Northeast? No, its leader said, not with the entertainment complex’s amenities and the phased opening of an indoor family water park and a golf course in the months following the casino’s debut.

“This is not convenience gaming,” said Eller, 42, a former Marine major and a Harvard MBA, who swiftly ascended the gaming industry’s ranks over 10 years before taking over Empire Resorts’ top spot in June.

“This is not an aged facility. It’s all built on a Las Vegas casino model where there’s entertainment all the time, live shows, restaurants and bars.”

Casino executives plan to give away 70 percent of the property’s rooms to entice and reward big spenders to gamble and enjoy the resort, spa, restaurants and hotels.

That means the casino’s 100,000-square-foot gaming floor will generate most of the entertainment complex’s revenue.