The Empire City Casino in New York state is looking for a deep-pocketed partner to help it fend off competition from a newer, flashier rival.

On Wednesday, the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway issued a statement saying it had enlisted J.P. Morgan Securities to help explore “alternatives, including strategic partnerships” to ensure its future survival in the increasingly cutthroat world that is New York casino gambling.

Empire City became part of the Yonkers Raceway in 2006, and underwent a $50m expansion in 2013 that added 66k-square-feet of amenities to the property, including new restaurants and an expanded gaming floor that now encompasses over 5k slots and electronic table games.

Empire City is one of only two casinos – along with Genting’s Resorts World New York – allowed to operate within spitting distance of New York City. But March 2018 will see the opening of the new $1.2b Resorts World Catskills (a different Genting property) in the town of Thompson in Sullivan County, and Empire City is clearly scanning the horizon with a degree of trepidation.