The Machine Floor Is Not What Most Visitors Expect
Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is documented in publicly published reference sources as a racino offering electronic table games, not as a floor of traditional reel-spinning slot machines. The venue sits in Yonkers, Westchester County, New York, and its documented opening year is 2006. A reader planning a first visit should understand that the gaming devices here are electronic versions of table-style games rather than the classic slot cabinets many people picture when they hear the word casino.
This distinction matters because it changes how a machine behaves. An electronic table game typically presents a dealer-hand or wheel outcome on a screen, with the player placing a wager through a touch interface or button panel. The machine itself manages the game round, but the underlying structure resembles a table game more than a spinning-reel slot. What a visitor can do at any given machine is governed by the machine's own on-screen rules and the property's current operating policies, neither of which is published in a fixed form that this article can quote.
The venue's documented type is the single most useful fact for setting expectations. The publicly published reference sources that list this property record its city, county, state, type and opening year, and nothing else about the property itself. That means no documented machine count, floor size, room count, or price information exists in the reference material this article is built from, and this article will not invent any.
Where the Venue Sits and How That Shapes a Visit
Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway is in Yonkers, a city in Westchester County, New York. The property is documented as a row in the state's casino list, which records the city and county but does not publish a coordinate for the property itself. The city of Yonkers has a published coordinate, and every distance figure in this article is measured from that city point, not from the casino building.
This is not a minor technicality. A visitor deciding whether to drive from Manhattan, Philadelphia or Boston needs to know that the straight-line figure from the city of Yonkers is not the same as a road distance from the casino entrance. Road distance is always longer, and this article does not publish road mileage or driving time for any route.
The table below gives straight-line distances from the city of Yonkers to several documented reference points. Each figure is a great-circle measurement between city centres, not a driving distance and not a measurement from the property.
| Reference point | Straight-line distance from Yonkers city centre | Measurement type |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | 17.4 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| New York City | 17.4 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Philadelphia | 96.6 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Atlantic City | 113.0 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | 166.3 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Lake George | 171.8 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Boston | 174.9 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Syracuse | 186.7 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Washington DC | 218.4 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Buffalo | 290.6 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Niagara Falls | 306.3 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
| Pittsburgh | 322.0 miles | Great-circle, city centre to city centre |
If the reader's question is how far the casino is from their own location, that figure cannot be produced here. The correct method is to take the reader's own position, measure the straight-line distance to the city of Yonkers using a mapping tool, and then treat that number as a floor: the actual road trip will be longer. For the road distance, the reader should use a route planner and confirm the route against the property's own directions page before travelling.
What a Machine Session Involves, Step by Step
The mechanical process of using an electronic table game is broadly consistent across venues of this type, but the specifics at Empire City Casino are set by the property and can change. This article describes the general structure, not a guaranteed sequence for this venue on a given day.
A visitor typically approaches a machine, reads the on-screen game rules and paytable if one is displayed, and then funds the machine. Funding can happen through a ticket-in/ticket-out system, a player card, or a bill acceptor, depending on what the property has installed. The machine then presents the game round, and the player uses the touch screen or button panel to place a wager and start the round. Any winnings are credited to the machine's credit meter and can be cashed out through the machine's ticket printer or at a kiosk.
None of those steps should be read as a promise about this specific venue. The property's own machine screens, its player services desk, and its published guest information are the authoritative channels for how a session works today. A visitor should confirm the funding method, the cash-out method, and any player-card requirement before sitting down.
Electronic Table Games Are Not Slot Machines
The keyword asks about slot machines, but the documented type for this venue is electronic table games. The two categories are not interchangeable, and the difference affects what a player sees on the screen and how the game resolves.
| Aspect | Traditional slot machine | Electronic table game |
|---|---|---|
| Game presentation | Spinning reels with symbols | Screen-based table game, often with a dealer or wheel visual |
| Player action | Set bet, spin, wait for reel outcome | Set bet, make a table-style decision where the game allows it, wait for resolution |
| Underlying structure | Reel-based outcome generator | Electronic version of a table game's rules and odds structure |
| Documented type at this venue | Not the documented type | Documented type in the state casino list |
A visitor who arrives expecting a bank of three-reel slots may be surprised. The machines at a racino of this documented type are more likely to resemble electronic roulette, electronic blackjack, or similar table-style terminals. The exact mix on the floor is not something this article can state, because the reference material does not publish a machine inventory for the property.
Why This Article Cannot Quote Prices, Hours or Machine Counts
The reference material this article is built from records the venue's city, county, state, type and opening year, and nothing else about the property. There is no documented machine count, no floor area, no room count, no price list, no opening hours, and no resort fee. This article will not state any of those figures, because a number that is not in the reference material is a number this article does not have.
This is a deliberate constraint, not an oversight. Figures like machine counts and floor area are revised as properties are rebuilt and expanded, and the publicly published reference sources that list this venue do not publish a current inventory. A reader who wants the current machine count should contact the property directly or check its published guest information, and should treat any third-party figure as an estimate unless it is dated and attributed.
The same logic applies to prices. A minimum bet, a maximum bet, a buffet price, a parking fee, or a room rate all vary by day, season, and property policy. The property's own booking page, its published hours page, and its guest services line hold the current answer. This article explains what drives those figures, not what the figures are.
What to Confirm Before You Go
A visitor planning a trip to Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway should confirm several changeable items before travelling. The property's own website, its guest services desk, and its published hours page are the authoritative channels for each of the following.
- The current machine mix and whether any traditional slot cabinets are on the floor, since the documented type is electronic table games.
- The funding method for machines: ticket-in/ticket-out, bill acceptor, player card, or a combination.
- The cash-out method and whether a player card is required to redeem credits.
- Any minimum or maximum bet posted on the machine or at the player services desk.
- Opening hours and any age or entry requirements, which are set by the property and can change.
- Parking arrangements and any associated fee, which are not published in the reference material this article uses.
The single most common catch is assuming that a racino with electronic table games operates exactly like a Las Vegas-style slot floor. The documented type says otherwise. A visitor who confirms the machine mix, the funding method, and the cash-out process before arriving will have a much clearer picture of what to expect.
FAQ
Does Empire City Casino have traditional slot machines?
The venue's documented type in the state casino list is electronic table games, not traditional slot machines. That does not rule out the presence of some reel-spinning cabinets, but the reference material this article uses does not publish a machine inventory for the property. The property's own floor information is the authoritative source for the current machine mix.
How far is Empire City Casino from Manhattan?
The straight-line distance from the city of Yonkers to Manhattan is 17.4 miles, measured as a great-circle distance between city centres. That is not a driving distance and not a measurement from the casino building. Road distance is always longer, and this article does not publish road mileage or driving time.
What does it cost to play at Empire City Casino?
This article does not state any price, minimum bet, maximum bet, parking fee, or entry fee, because the reference material does not publish any. The property's own machine screens, its published guest information, and its guest services desk hold the current figures. Prices vary by machine, day, and property policy, and should be confirmed before travelling.
Play responsibly
Gambling should be treated as paid entertainment, never as a way to earn income or recover losses. 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738)
18+ or 21+ depending on where you are; follow the minimum age that applies to you.
This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.