Chiree Gilliam picked up a pair of red dice, shook them confidently, then tossed them in a high arc toward the cushioned wall of the craps table.
“Crap dice,” another bettor said as the dice settled onto the red felt, a losing roll for Ms. Gilliam.
The croupier steered the dice back to Ms. Gilliam, 44, who on Tuesday morning became one of the first gamblers on the live tables at Resorts World New York City. The games opened after a ribbon cutting at 11 Tuesday morning. For another $25, she could throw the dice again.
After decades of gambling companies trying and failing to secure a license, New York City has its first full casino.
Since 2011, Resorts World has been operated as an electronic-games only parlor next to Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, but after years of competing for a full gambling license, it opened the city’s first full-scale commercial casino, with live table games, dealers and cards.
When Resorts World officials opened the doors late morning, a flood of eager bettors and curious onlookers rushed up the escalators to the flashy new gambling hall on the third floor.
The hundreds of early gamblers who showed up seemed to hesitate at the threshold with the wonder of children on Christmas. Then they swarmed the hall, which is longer than a football field and features rows of gleaming new blackjack, craps, baccarat and roulette tables.
Ms. Gilliam, a nurse from Connecticut, said she regularly frequented casinos in her home state, like Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, but she wanted to size up what a New York City version was like.
She settled on a craps table near the middle of the hall. After a half-dozen tosses, she was happy to break even, and she gave the new casino her seal of approval.
“I like the tables, I like the atmosphere,” she said. “This place is definitely livelier than other casinos, which makes sense because we’re in New York City.”
Earlier in the morning, Resorts World executives gathered for a ceremonial first bet. Flanked by elected officials, they threw an opening toss of the dice alongside the rapper Nas, who is a Queens native and is partnering with Resorts World.
Dressed in a tuxedo, Nas gave his own toss and then hopped up on a platform in front of a D.J. and began rapping, punctuating his verses with patter promoting the new casino.
“The first live performance in a casino in New York City, baby, let’s go,” he said before launching into “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).”
After the opening ceremony, bettors ringed the tables, even as some dealers and casino staffers seemed to be working out the kinks. Ryan Elder, a 45-year-old hair-salon owner, sped to a blackjack table with a $50 minimum bet before he realized there was a delay in opening it.
“I’m a community guy and small business owner,” said Mr. Elder, who brought $2,000 with him to gamble. “It’s going to bring in a lot of new jobs and help the local economy,” he added. “Also, it’s a 6-minute drive from my house.”
The dealer at the table, Marie Leoma, said she had 15 years of casino experience in other states, but agreed to relocate to work at Resorts World because it was in New York City.
“People have been waiting so long for the first real casino in New York City to open,” she said. “This city has all kinds of people, and you can see that just by looking around the room.”
Another bettor at the blackjack table, Phil Fernandez, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, gave his opinion.
“Nobody wants to drive two hours to a casino, so you’re going to get a lot of people coming here,” he said.
Until now, the closest full casinos to New York City have been in the Poconos, the Catskills, Atlantic City or Connecticut. Now New Yorkers can play a legal game of live-dealer blackjack within city limits, though Resorts World can take more than an hour by subway or car to get to from Midtown Manhattan.
Opponents of a casino in the city have highlighted the risk of increased gambling addiction, particularly in immigrant communities in Queens and the Bronx. They pointed out that while the state would take in millions of dollars in tax revenue and licensing fees every year, the city would bear the social costs, which are usually felt most acutely in the poorest neighborhoods.
At a baccarat table, Shou Ray Liang and his wife, Kiko Liang, waited for the table to open. He had $20,000 to spend today, he said through his wife who translated for him.
Ms. Liang said her husband had done so well at baccarat in recent years that he was able to quit his job as a restaurant cook and support them both by gambling.
“It’s better than working,” she said. “He wins and loses. Maybe tomorrow he will be back to working.”
After a constitutional amendment in 2013 opened the door to full casinos in New York City, the New York State Gaming Commission, after years of lobbying, approved three applications in December for businesses to operate in the city. In addition to Resorts World, Bally’s was granted a license to operate in the Bronx, at Ferry Point, and the Hard Rock will open a casino in Queens next to Citi Field, the ballpark of the New York Mets.
Since Resorts World was already a functioning racino — a racetrack with video lottery terminals — it needed only to renovate its existing third floor to accommodate the new tables and hire more employees. It was able to open just months after receiving its license.
The other two casinos are expected to open around 2030.
The gambling industry has long hoped to break into New York, the country’s biggest untapped casino market that is also home to some of the strictest gambling laws.
But in 2001, the state legalized video lottery terminals at existing horse racing tracks, creating racinos.
Resorts World NYC opened in 2011 and quickly became one of the highest-grossing slots parlors in the country.
Resorts World, part of a Malaysian entertainment conglomerate, has projected up to $4 billion in annual revenue from the Queens casino, which would make it one of the highest-grossing casinos nationwide.
Resorts World officials said the new casino had hired for 1,250 new jobs, including 950 table-game dealers — most of whom completed orientation only recently. A dealer school on the property has already trained and hired hundreds of local residents; another 500 graduates are expected by May, officials said.
After the speeches were over and the early logistical problems were sorted out, the casino felt like any other large casino. Within an hour, roars were going up from tables around the hall for big winners.
But not everyone loved it.
Joe Mallozzi, 23, and Michael DaSilva, 21, two friends from Stamford, Conn., were not impressed. They called the Resorts World dealers inexperienced and complained that the craps tables lacked the kind of bonus prize opportunities offered by other casinos.
“We won’t be back,” said Mr. Mallozzi, who said he lost $600. “I should have known a New York City casino was going to find a way to get you.”
Corey Kilgannon is a Times reporter who writes about crime and criminal justice in and around New York City, as well as breaking news and other feature stories.
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