MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT CENTER HONORED

Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts in Yonkers was honored with the Community Service Award from United Way of Westchester and Putnam Valley in recognition of Empire City’s unwavering commitment to giving back to local communities across Westchester County. The award was presented by Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, at the United Way’s eighth annual Imagine Gala.

Empire City continues to put community and corporate social responsibility at the forefront of its commitment to New York as the company remains laser-focused on addressing community needs through its charitable support in the areas of public education, food insecurity and workforce development, which make up MGM Resorts’ enterprise-wide philanthropic initiative, Focused on What Matters. United Way has been a longtime philanthropic partner of Empire City supporting programs focusing on public education in Westchester County. Since MGM Resorts acquired Empire City more than five years ago, their funding and support of United Way has increased with additional grant donations, employee volunteering and in-kind donations.

“United Way of Westchester & Putnam embodies the values of Empire City in supporting our communities and creating life-changing outcomes for our neighbors,” said Taryn Duffy, vice president of public affairs at Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts.

Empire City employees frequently volunteer their time to amplify support of United Way. Community volunteerism is a key tenet at MGM Resorts properties across the globe. The company set a goal to exceed 1.12 million employee volunteer hours by 2025 and achieved this figure nearly two years early.

“Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the community through strong corporate social responsibility initiatives,” said Tom Gabriel, president and CEO of United Way of Westchester & Putnam. “Selecting Empire City as our 2024 Community Service Award recipient was an obvious choice. They are a true example that we are stronger together and being united, we can change the world for the better.”

As one of the largest casino floors in the country, Empire City welcomes more than nine million visitors from across the tri-state region and beyond each year. As the property looks to secure a full-scale commercial gaming license to offer table games with live dealers, retail sports betting and significantly expand dining and amenities, along with a new entertainment venue, the property would create nearly 2,000 new dire hires, generate more than $1 billion in economic activity for the region resulting in the creation of over 10,000 indirect and induced new jobs, and would support further expansion of its corporate social responsibility initiatives and partnerships.