The construction of a new Islandia casino building is part of the $210 million Jake’s 58 expansion project. The realization of this project started a little more than six months ago. Soon, a new casino building will begin, with an area of more than 110 thousand square meters. This area will accommodate 1,000 additional slot machines and a 200-seat food court.

One of the highlights of Jake’s 58 expansion is the construction of a 168,000-square-foot, three-level parking garage. It will accommodate about 500 cars, bringing the complex’s total capacity to 2,000 parking spaces—three times more than the parking garage can accommodate now. In addition, there will be more than 80 electric car chargers.

Bold Architecture of Patchogue designed the project, and the general contractor is Aurora Contractors of Ronkonkoma.

Aurora Contractors Director of Business Development Michael Adler called the project’s launch “fantastic.” The expansion of Jake’s 58 casino hotel includes a new 17,500-square-foot VIP lounge and a 3,500-square-foot entertainment area, which will be an excellent venue for weddings, parties, and corporate events. Jake’s 58 will also feature an upscale restaurant, and the existing casino, offices, and 210 hotel rooms will be remodeled. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

Suffolk OTB President and CEO Phil Boyle said that after the expansion, the company could host various events at Jake’s 58. In 2013, Boyle, as a state senator, passed legislation that gave Suffolk OTB its first 1,000 slot machines. This helped pull the company out of bankruptcy due to a decline in sports betting. Boyle wants Jake’s 58 casinos to get wagering authorization from the state legislature.

The expansion process did not interfere with gambling activity at the casino hotel. After construction began, Jake’s 58’s revenue remained the same: slightly more than 26 million dollars monthly.

Such significant revenues speak to the popularity of land-based establishments in an era dominated by iGaming. Online casinos and bookmakers have significantly transformed the gambling market. This can be understood after analyzing online casino review sites, including the search leader Onlinecasinobuddy. If you look here, you can quickly find dozens of well-known online casinos with thousands of games. Many of these games are not found in traditional gambling establishments. If you add to that the possibility to play from home, the popularity of iGaming is quite understandable. However, even the best gambling sites will not give the unique atmosphere of land-based casinos. That is why the traditional gambling business is still thriving.

In 2023, the casino donated more than $123 million to the State Education Fund, more than $13.6 million to the state’s horseback riding industry, and $12 million to Suffolk County.

Eight hundred jobs will be created during construction, and more than 200 additional permanent jobs will be created upon completion. The total casino-hotel staff will reach nearly 700 employees.

Jake’s 58 could have a competitor if a casino proposed by Las Vegas Sands is built at Nassau Coliseum. But Phil Boyle isn’t worried about that. According to him, even if Sands wins the license and builds a casino, Jake’s 58 will do just fine. With the expansion and new amenities, Jake’s 58 will have loyal fans who won’t trade it for any other gambling establishment.