Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino on Long Island now fully open

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Delaware North on Monday opened the final 273 of the 1,000 video lottery terminal (VLT) gaming machines planned for Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino in Islandia, New York, in Suffolk County on Long Island.

With all 1,000 VLTs operational, Jake's 58 is now fully open as the most conveniently located gaming location for nearly 3 million people on Long Island.

"Thanks to Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino, residents of Suffolk and Nassau counties no longer need travel to Queens, Atlantic City or elsewhere to experience the excitement of casino gaming," said Brian Hansberry, president of Delaware North's gaming business. "We thank the New York State Gaming Commission for its approval and the Village of Islandia for supporting the project, which has brought jobs and a convenient, comfortable and much-desired new entertainment destination to Long Island."

The renovations have created dozens of construction-related jobs, and Delaware North's operation of the full gaming facility and the hotel has created more than 225 new, permanent jobs in addition to the 115 jobs that existed at the time Delaware North began operating the hotel on 1 September.

The Village of Islandia is using funds from the casino's gaming operations for a major reduction in property taxes for its residents. In addition, Delaware North has provided the village $1.5 million to pay for the redevelopment this summer of the First Responders Recreation Field on Old Nichols Road.

The opening of the third phase, in the hotel's former first-floor pool area, follows the 1 May opening of a second phase with 427 VLTs, including 64 seats at electronic table games, in the hotel's former second-floor ballroom. In February, the gaming venue first opened with 265 VLTs in another area of the second floor, with another 35 VLTs quickly added to that area in March.

"We made excellent progress on the construction and were able to open thanks to our general contractor, Axis Construction Co. of Hauppauge, New York, and their more than 25 Long Island-based subcontractors," said Chuck Kilroy, general manager of Jake's 58. "In addition to the many construction workers, our team here at Jake's 58 and a number of Delaware North associates from our corporate office in Buffalo and our gaming operations at Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack and Hamburg Gaming in Western New York worked extremely hard to make it happen."

Delaware North, one of the largest privately-held hospitality and food service companies in the world, purchased the Islandia hotel in August 2016 and soon began the renovations to accommodate the gaming venue. Delaware North had been selected by Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting to develop and operate a gaming venue in Suffolk County.

In addition to a wide variety of slot-like VLTs, guests can play their favorite table games — blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat — in an electronic format, thanks to the Interblock Stadium. The unique multi-game space is the first Interblock VLT setup in New York state. From the comfort of their own player stations, players can play up to four games simultaneously from a total of eight games offered.

The innovative gaming space is composed of multiple high-definition LCD displays, 64 play stations designed to deliver roulette, craps, multi-hand blackjack and baccarat games. Jake's 58 is also the only VLT casino in New York state to currently offer Interblock's multi-hand blackjack on its Diamond product line.

The 227-room hotel features free high-speed internet access and a fitness center with cardiovascular equipment, free weights and more. Room renovations and other improvements are planned. Delaware North is also bringing its highly regarded customer service program, GuestPath, and its environmental management program, GreenPath, to the operations.

Delaware North has already enhanced the hotel's food and beverage operation with a redesigned menu at the Bistro 58 restaurant that features guest-favorite selections, including popular Indian dishes, while adding shareable plates, hand-crafted cocktails and other contemporary touches. The restaurant is complemented by a coffee café and bar, and grab-and-go food items offered on both levels of the gaming floor.

Parking Systems, a professional parking management firm, manages parking at Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino. The parking lot features 650 marked spaces and valet parking that can accommodate up to 830 vehicles using stacked parking. The casino employs a professional security team and state-of-the-art systems to monitor the casino and parking lot, along with regular patrols by the Suffolk County Police Department.