- Resorts World Casino New York City sits on Aqueduct Racetrack — "the Big A," running thoroughbreds since 1894 and the last racetrack inside New York City limits. The casino, the city's first when it opened in 2011, shares the grounds with a track where Secretariat made his career debut.
- The A train takes you to the door. Ride a Far Rockaway–bound A to Aqueduct–North Conduit Av and you're a short walk from the entrance — no car, no parking garage, $2.90 with a tap of OMNY.
- Eat like you know the neighborhood: old-school Italian institutions in the shadow of the track, and the roti shops and Guyanese bakeries of Liberty Avenue's Little Guyana a short hop north.
- The licensed dispensary is ten minutes up the corridor — order-ahead pickup on your way through, or delivery to the Resorts World area. One local rule to respect: the property is cannabis-free and the hotel is smoke-free, so anything you pick up stays sealed until you're somewhere private where it's permitted. 21+.
Most people who come to Resorts World see exactly one building: the casino. Fair enough — it's enormous. But it sits in one of the more quietly interesting corners of Queens, on top of a racetrack with 130 years of history, ten minutes from some of the best Guyanese food in America, and a straight subway ride from anywhere on the A line. Here's how a local would build the full day around it.
Why is there a casino sitting on a racetrack?
Because the racetrack came first — by more than a century. Aqueduct Racetrack opened in 1894, named for the old Brooklyn waterworks conduit that ran alongside the property. Locals have called it "the Big A" for generations, and it holds a title no other track can claim anymore: it's the last racetrack operating inside New York City limits.
The history on this dirt is genuinely great. The Wood Memorial, Aqueduct's marquee spring race, has long been a proving ground for Kentucky Derby hopefuls. And on July 4, 1972, an unheralded two-year-old named Secretariat made his career debut here — and lost, finishing fourth. It remains one of racing's favorite trivia answers: the greatest racehorse of the century started his career getting beaten at Aqueduct.
The casino arrived in October 2011, when Resorts World Casino New York City opened on the Aqueduct grounds as the first casino in New York City. Today the two share the property: electronic gaming floors, restaurants, and the attached Hyatt Regency JFK hotel on one side, and the racetrack — which still runs live racing seasonally — on the other. Racing has traditionally run late fall through spring, and with Belmont Park mid-rebuild, the Big A has been carrying extra dates; check NYRA's calendar before you plan a railbird afternoon around it.
How do you get there on the A train?
This is the easiest door-to-door trip in the borough. The casino has what amounts to its own subway stop: Aqueduct–North Conduit Av on the A line. Take a Far Rockaway–bound A (the same line that goes on toward the beach), step off at Aqueduct, and follow the walkway to the entrance — a few minutes on foot, fully signed. One $2.90 tap of OMNY covers it, and you skip the parking garage entirely.
- From Manhattan or Brooklyn: any Far Rockaway–bound A, straight through — no transfer.
- From the Richmond Hill / Jamaica Avenue side: the J/Z connects toward the A, or the Q37 and Q10 buses run the Lefferts corridor between Jamaica Avenue and the casino area.
- Driving: the property sits at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd in South Ozone Park, just off the Belt Parkway, with plenty of parking — but on a nice day the train is honestly the better move.
Flying in or out the same day? The casino is minutes from JFK, and there's a whole guide to the nearest dispensary to JFK and the AirTrain if your day starts or ends at a terminal.
Where should you eat in South Ozone Park and Ozone Park?
This is where the locals smile, because the food around the Big A is the real jackpot. Two moves, depending on your appetite:
- Old-school Italian in the shadow of the track. Ozone Park and the streets around Aqueduct kept their red-sauce institutions — the kind of decades-old, garlic-forward places where linguine with white clam sauce is a house religion and the waiters have seniority. Some are cash-only and proud of it; go early or expect a wait on weekends.
- Little Guyana, a short hop north. Liberty Avenue through Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park is the heart of New York's Indo-Caribbean community — roti shops, doubles, pepperpot, chow mein done the Guyanese way, and bakeries stacked with pine tarts and cheese rolls. It's some of the best-value eating in the city, and it's ten minutes from the casino floor.
If your day drifts north toward the shop, there's also a full guide to eating along Jamaica Avenue — the diners, delis, and bakeries on our own block.
Where does the dispensary fit into the day?
Ten minutes up the corridor. From the casino, the 111th Street / Lefferts Boulevard corridor runs straight north to Jamaica Avenue, where Cannabis Cowboy — a licensed New York adult-use dispensary — sits at 110-04 Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill. The full walkthrough for casino visitors, transit and all, is on the dispensary near Resorts World page. If you're 21+, it slots into the day two ways:
- Order-ahead pickup on your way through. Browse the live menu, reserve, and your order is bagged and waiting — in and out in minutes with a valid 21+ ID.
- Delivery to the area. We deliver prepaid online orders to the Resorts World area, with a curbside or lobby-entrance handoff and an ID check — the Resorts World delivery guide has the step-by-step, including for Hyatt guests.
And the local rule that keeps the day smooth: the casino property is cannabis-free, and the attached Hyatt is 100% smoke-free — so whatever you pick up stays sealed until you're somewhere private where it's permitted. Think of the dispensary stop the way you'd think of picking up a good bottle on the way home: part of the day's errands, enjoyed later, not something for the gaming floor, the grandstand, or the parking lot.
What should you pick up for the evening after?
For the wind-down after a casino day — home, couch, replaying the hand you should've folded — the easy single-serving formats fit best. A few picks that are in stock as of this writing (stock changes daily, so check the live menu):
- AYRLOOM Half & Half — the iced-tea-and-lemonade cannabis drink, one can, one clearly labeled serving.
- HIGH PEAKS Margarita — a single-serve cannabis mocktail in a can, no barware required.
- MFNY Cherry Lime gummies — a pack that breaks into small labeled pieces, easy to portion for a low-key night.
Drinks and gummies are the slow-onset formats — one serving, then patience — and if they're new to you, the first edible start guide covers the timing. Names change constantly on a live menu; the team can point you at whatever fits the evening you're planning.
The quick rundown
- Get there: Far Rockaway–bound A train to Aqueduct–North Conduit Av — $2.90 and no parking garage.
- The history: Aqueduct has run since 1894; Secretariat debuted (and lost) here in 1972; the casino joined in 2011. Live racing is seasonal — check NYRA's calendar.
- Eat: old-school Italian near the track, or Little Guyana's roti shops and bakeries on Liberty Avenue.
- The dispensary: ten minutes north in Richmond Hill — order-ahead pickup or delivery to the area, 21+ with valid ID, everything sealed until you're somewhere private off the property.
That's the Big A day the local way — trains, horses, roti, and a licensed shop on the route home. Cannabis Cowboy serves Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Ozone Park and the Resorts World area. Browse the live menu or come by with a 21+ ID.