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1. Andrew Cuomo came through for harness racing, as New York State casinos have been given the green light to reopen, saving Yonkers Raceway from shutting down at the conclusion of racing this weekend.
2. Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is located at 810 Yonkers Avenue, in Yonkers, New York, just off the 87 Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and only 15 miles from Times Square in Manhattan. The venue first opened in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track.
3. Empire City Trotting Club, which later becomes Yonkers Raceway, a 97-acre parcel of property in the City of Yonkers, is built. 2006 After New York State approved the installment of video lottery terminals (VLTs) at the state’s harness racetracks, Empire City Casino opens with 1,870 VLT’s, later adding 120,000 square-feet of new space.
4. Yonkers NY 10704. Reviews (914) 968. This casino should've stayed close even after the Covid pandemic. Since closing for about a year for MGM new ownership.

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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.

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.

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

by Debbie Little

Gov. Andrew Cuomo came through for harness racing, as New York State casinos have been given the green light to reopen, saving Yonkers Raceway from shutting down at the conclusion of racing this weekend.

In mid-August, a joint press release from Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York (SOA) announced an agreement to extend racing only through Saturday, Sept. 12, which is New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) Night of Champions (full story here).

Yonkers Raceway Casino Bus Schedule

“It was great news that the casino can reopen and begin to get back to normal,” said Yonkers Raceway director of racing Alex Dadoyan. “The first step is the 25 per cent that we start at and it’s great for everyone. There were so many employees that were out of work and can now get back to what they do, as well as the horsemen that were racing with an uncertain future.”

Racing would have ceased in August if not for MGM Resorts agreeing to continue to pay operating expenses while the SOA contributed $1.2 million to purses.

“We’ll keep the purses how they are until we see how it goes,” said SOA president Joe Faraldo. “So next week we’ll only race four days, same purse level, then we’ll go to five days, same purse level, until we see how much money we’re generating and what has to happen.”

Even though some casinos in the state reopened on the first day possible, Sept. 9, Empire City chose a different path.

“It’s never been our goal to reopen first or fastest, but safest,” said Taryn Duffy, VP corporate communications & public affairs for Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts. “We want to ensure we are opening safely for our employees and guests. There are numerous new operating procedures and protocols in place and we want to give our employees the time to be well-versed in this new way in which we will be operating – for their safety and the safety of our guests. Our extended soft opening for invited Mlife members leading up to the public opening on Sept. 21 allows us to manage the number of visitors in the first week and work towards the smoothest transition to our full opening.”

There had been rumors that racing at Yonkers might take a few weeks off to let the purse money build up, or race four – rather than five – days a week, but they turned out to be just that, rumors.

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Racing five days a week, nine races a day, Faraldo thinks is the winning combination for his horsemen as well as those watching and betting on their product.

“You want other tracks or outlets to take your signal,” said Faraldo. “There’s something to be said for a continuity of signal. When people buy a signal, their customers want to see horses and races for a longer period of time throughout the course of the year so they can bet and they can get to know the horses. When you have 234 race dates it generates interest, it generates handle, it’s all off track, but it’s handle. So, I’m not about to give that up.”

As for the Night of Champions, Kelly Young, executive director of the Agricultural and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund, expects extremely competitive racing.

“It’s an unusual year capped off with an unusual Night of Champions, but there are many great horses to celebrate and we’re looking forward to some awesome performances on Saturday,” said Young. “We have done our best to make this season as fulfilling for the horsemen and horses as possible. Horses are earning good money in New York.”

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Each final for 2- and 3-year-olds competing at the Hilltop Oval goes for the usual $225,000.

Even though listed owners are allowed to attend, they cannot bring their friends and family as has been the norm, but again, there is no norm during a pandemic.

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Owners that wish to attend need to call Young at 518-388-0224 by this morning (Sept. 11) to be put on an admissions list. As per state guidelines, owners will only be allowed on the apron and not in the grandstand or the paddock, but can be part of a winner’s circle presentation as long as they are wearing a mask and adhering to social distancing.

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Fans are still not allowed to attend, as they are in neighboring states, and there is no timeline for when that will change.

Yonkers is scheduled to race until Tuesday, Dec. 22.

Yonkers Raceway Replays