Verona, N.Y. — The newest nightlife venue at Turning Stone Casino Resort will debut this month, along with a rebranding and relocation of its sports betting lounge.
The new venue, called NY Rec & Social Club, opens on Dec. 18 in the spot that was previously the Lava Nightclub in the Exit 33 wing of the casino.
The new club “bridges the gap between sports book and lounge,” according to a news release from the Oneida Indian Nation, which operates the casino. It includes 60-high definition TVs, plus games such as foosball, shuffleboard, darts and billiards. It will also offer table betting games, such as blackjack and craps.
The lounge, which can seat up to 200 guests, also features “innovative game day fare from Chef de Cuisine Dustin Tuthill and signature cocktails served at a main bar sparkling with crystal chandeliers,” the news release said.
At the same time, the Oneidas are rebranding their sports betting venues at Turning Stone and their YBR Casino in Chittenango and the Point Place Casino in Bridgeport. Those sports books have operated under a branding relationship with Nevada-based Caesar’s Sports since they opened in 2019.
The new sports books at all three casinos will be rebranded as TS Sports. The sports book at Turning Stone moves from its current location near the casino’s main entrance to the NY Rec & Social Club.
The type of bets and play at the sports books will not change, said Joel Barkin, vice president of communication for the Oneidas and Turning Stone Enterprises, the nation’s business division. Players will no longer have access to Caesar’s rewards programs, but TS Sports will offer its own versions.
“Caesars has been a valuable partner in our efforts to establish our sports books as the most exciting places for fans to watch the big game and place their wagers,” Ray Halbritter, the Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO said in the news release. “The launch of TS Sports will help us continue this tradition as we further evolve these venues and the experience they offer.”
The new lounge at Turning Stone gives the Oneidas New York state’s two largest physical sports books. The YBR sports betting lounge has 9,000 square feet of space, and space for 250 fans. It also has a 32-foot LED screen, more than 35 additional screens and six “fan caves” that offer private viewing areas and personal food and beverage service.
The Oneidas also recently upgraded the sports book at Point Place Casino with a new full-service restaurant and bar.
The NY Rec & Social Club is one piece of a $370 million expansion plan at Turning Stone the Oneidas announced earlier this year.
That project, which includes a new hotel, a doubled-in-size conference center and other additional dining and entertainment venues, is the largest expansion at Turning Stone since it opened 30 years ago.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at [email protected], or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
