Empire Resorts

Empire Resorts was founded in 2003 through a consolidation of Alpha Hospitality and Catskill Development LLC, a company that had purchased the Monticello Raceway in 1996.

[1][2] The consolidation was carried out by Robert A. Berman, who in the previous year had been offered control as CEO of Alpha Hospitality by Stanley Tollman.

[5][6] Berman restored financial stability by selling off non-essential gaming assets and merging the company with Catskill Development LLC, which led to the creation of Empire Resorts that same year.

[18][19] Kien Huat is an investment branch of the Genting Group, a large leisure and gambling conglomerate founded by Malaysian entrepreneur Lim Goh Tong.

[21][22] In 2010 the Genting Group won a bid to build a racino similar to what it owned in Monticello at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City.

Empire CEO Ryan Eller said the closure was intended to “improve revenue performance at our nearby Resorts World Catskills property.” Monticello's racing operations will remain open.