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Empire City, located in the city of Yonkers, is a major attraction near New York City. Getting there is easy, either by driving up the Major Deegan, or buying a special pass from Metro North that includes a bus shuttle from the train to the casino. Empire City offers more than just gaming. Empire City was founded in 1889 and was known at the time as the Empire City Race Track. At the time, trotting horses raced. It fell into hard times in 1900 when the founder, William H. Clark, died, but in 1907, James Butler purchased it and reopened it for thoroughbred racing. In 1942, it was converted back to trotting races. By the 1950s, baseball franchises like the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants had left New York, and Yonkers Raceway, as it was then known, became the top sporting arena of the area. It hosted significant events, such as the Westchester County Fair. But, in a familiar pattern, by the year 2000 it had fallen from its great stature to being slowly dismantled after finding competition from internet sources like www.casinopokerguide.com. In 2006, laws in New York had changed to allow slot machines and video gambling. Yonkers Raceway underwent a $225 million renovation, which included installing over 1,700 slot machines. By the end of that year, the total number of slot machines was expanded to 4,000. Over time, they also added video poker, electronic roulette, and video baccarat. By 2013, the casino underwent a $50 million expansion, which, among other improvements, added more than a thousand slot machines. There is more to Empire City than just gambling. There are five restaurants: Empire Terrace, Alley 810, Pinch (pronounce Peen-cho) , Dan Rooney’s, and Nonno’s Trattoria. There is a stage for musicians to perform, and many nights the venue promotes new artists. Other times, however, there are cover bands to entertain a few dozen at a time. Every Wednesday, three popular comedians perform, considered by many to be “Yonkers’ Best Kept Secret.” During the summer, they have an outdoor concert series. Empire City, located a short ride from Manhattan, and closer than Mohegan Sun for many areas of Connecticut, is more than an alternative to Atlantic City, it’s legitimate competition.
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