$50M Hotel and Casino Expansion Nears Opening in Bridgeport by Oneida Nation

The Oneidas unveiled the completion of the $50 million project today at the casino at 450 Route 31 in Bridgeport, just east of the Onondaga County line. Point Place opened in 2018 as the Oneidas’ third full service casino (joining Turning Stone in Verona and YBR in Chittenango). The expansion was announced in May 2024.

In addition to the hotel and The Forest Grill restaurant, the expansion doubles the size of the casino floor with 400 new slot machines. It also adds a new retail shop called The Birch and updates The Perfect Pour Cafe, The Fireside Lounge and The Evergreen events space. The project also expands parking.

The Forest Grill is described as “a destination for both locals and visitors featuring an inviting and rustic ambiance echoing the evergreens and offering a cozy Adirondack-inspired retreat where guests can savor hearty comfort food and delicious drinks.” The menu, from chef Josh White, features steaks, seafood and more, plus a creative cocktail list.

“The Forest Grill and the attached hotel will be the ultimate complement to Point Place Casino and create a standout destination for people to stay and play in Upstate New York,” Jerry Marrello, vice president for the Oneidas’ regional casinos, said in a recent news release.

The Point Place expansion is one of several major projects underway by the Oneidas and their business arm, Turning Stone Enterprises. The biggest project is the $370 million expansion at Turning Stone, the flagship Oneida property in Verona. The project, which began in 2023, is adding a new 258-room hotel to the Turning Stone campus in Verona and more than doubling its existing events space.

The Oneidas recently announced that project will open in the summer of 2026, about six months ahead of schedule.

When the project is complete, the Turning Stone campus will have more than 1,000 rooms in four hotels and more than 225,000 square feet of events and meeting space. That will make it the “largest meetings and conventions resort destination” in the state, nation officials said.

The Oneidas have also been adding to their Verona Collective cannabis business and are working on a Tesla electric vehicle “delivery center” located off State Thruway Exit 34 in Canastota.

The Oneidas operate their casinos and other businesses under terms of a wide-ranging agreement reached with New York state and local governments in 2013. Under that deal, the Oneidas pay 25% of their slot revenues to the state, to be shared with local governments. The Oneidas have the exclusive right to operate gaming in a 10-county region in Central New York.

Last year, under that deal, the Oneidas paid more than $90 million to the state and the 10 counties.