Monticello, NY -- Empire Resorts Inc., (NASDAQ: NYNY) the owner and operator of the Mighty M Gaming at Monticello Raceway, announced today that it will host the first United States Rally Championship (USRC) event in the Catskill Mountains. Beginning September 29 and running through October 1, competitors representing the United States, Canada and Europe will be competing in the International Rally New York.

"We are pleased to be hosting this world-class event," said Dave Hanlon, CEO and President of Empire Resorts. "In addition to the race, Mighty M Gaming at Monticello Raceway will also be sponsoring five official spectator areas along the course for visitors’ enjoyment."

The rally course will consist of 364 miles of Sullivan County roads, with a mix of pavement and gravel surfaces. Of these, 102 miles will be "special stages" (speed tests run against the clock) on roads that will be temporarily closed to normal traffic, in Narrowsburg, Tusten, Liberty, and the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation.

The special stages will be linked by 262 miles of "transit zones" -- roads open to the public where rally teams must keep on schedule while observing the same laws and speed limits as everyone else.

Rally teams will have the opportunity to drive the course slowly on Thursday, September 29, and make notes concerning the straights, corners, and potential hazards. They will then drive the course in earnest on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1.

The cars will be compact sedans and sport coupes, modified for performance and safety. Among those expected are examples of two the most highly regarded performance compacts: the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer. Other cars expected to be in the starting lineup are the Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Hyundai Tiburon. International Rally New York will be broadcast later this year by the Speed Channel cable television network, as part of the "Motosport Mundial" program. Consult www.speedtv.com for the date and time. A webcast of the show will be available at www.revs.tv. For spectator information, visit www.RallyNewYork.com or call (845) 794-4096.

About United States Rally Championship
The United States Rally Championship is sanctioned by United States Auto Club (USAC) and it is presented by National Auto Sport Association (NASA). All events in this series, including International Rally New York, are listed as international rallies by the Federation International of the Automobile (FIA), the world governing body of motorsports. Rally New York is also a round of the Eastern States Rally Championship (ESRC), organized by NASA Rally Sport.

About Empire Resorts, Inc.
Empire Resorts operates the Monticello Raceway and Mighty M Gaming and is involved in the development of other legal gaming venues in New York. Empire opened Mighty M Gaming at the Raceway site on June 30, 2004. This facility features over 1,700 video gaming machines and amenities such as a 350-seat buffet and live nightly entertainment. Together with The Cayuga Nation of New York, Empire has also announced plans to develop a $500 million "Class III" Native American casino and resort on a site adjacent to the Raceway, and the company is also working to develop other gaming and non-gaming resort projects in the Catskill's region.

Statements in this press release regarding the company's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, including the need for regulatory approvals, financing and successful completion of construction. The company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1994, and as such, speak only as of the date made. To the extent the content of this press release includes forward-looking statements, they involve various risks and uncertainties including (i) the risk that the various approvals necessary as described herein and other approvals required to be obtained from the United States Congress, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Indian Gaming Regulatory Commission, the Governor of the State of New York and various other federal, State and local governmental entities are not received, (ii) the risk that financing necessary for the proposed programs or projects may not be able to be obtained because of credit factors, market conditions or other contingencies, (iii) the risk that sovereign Native American governments may exercise certain broad rights with regard to termination of its agreements with the company (iv) the risk of non-compliance by various counterparties of the related agreements, and (v) general risks affecting the company as described from time to time in it's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For a full discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.