DIRECTOR BIOS

Emanuel R. Pearlman
Chairman of the Board

Mr. Pearlman is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Liberation Investment Group, a New York-based investment management and financial consulting firm. His experience in the gaming industry includes serving as a consultant for Jackpot Enterprises, Inc. and Bally Entertainment Corporation, where he advised the companies on their business and financial activities. Mr. Pearlman also served as a director of Multimedia Games, Inc., a gaming technology developer and distributor, from 2006 to 2010.

Prior to founding Liberation, Mr. Pearlman served as the Executive General Partner of Gemini Partners, L.P. and Gemini Partners II, L.P., private investment partnerships that specialized in strategic block investing and financial consulting, from 1988 to 2002. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Pearlman also served as the Chief Operating Officer of Vornado Operating Corporation, a publicly-traded company affiliated with Vornado Realty Trust.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Colin Au
Director

Mr. Au is a director and advisor to a number of companies in Asia, Europe and United States which are involved in resorts, casinos, cruises, marine engineering and investment holding. In addition Mr. Au is and has been a director of a number of affiliates of the Kien Huat Limited for about 30 years. After stepping down in 2000 from all companies affiliated with Kien Huat, Mr. Au rejoined in May 2009 the Board of Star Cruises Ltd, a Hong Kong publicly listed affiliate of the Kien Huat as an independent director.

Mr. Au received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1974 and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 1972.

Joseph A. D'Amato
Chief Executive Officer

Mr. D'Amato brings over three decades of financial management, senior accounting and gaming operations experience to Empire Resorts and provides broad industry experience and particularly intimate knowledge of the Northeast gaming market.

Mr. D'Amato most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania, from 2007 to 2009, and as Chief Financial Officer of the Seneca Gaming Corporation in Western New York from 2002 to 2005 and as its Chief Operating Officer from 2005 to 2007. During his earlier career in the gaming industry, Mr. D'Amato served in various executive capacities with the Trump Entertainment, Park Place and Golden Nugget organizations. From 1970-1975, Mr. D'Amato was a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young. Mr. D'Amato has participated in raising over $2 billion in the public and bank finance markets, and has extensive experience with Sarbanes Oxley and the filing requirements and regulations of the Securities & Exchange Commission. He has been a CPA in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and received an MS in Taxation from Widener University in 1985, an MBA (Finance) from LaSalle University in 1978, and a BS in Business Administration from LaSalle University in 1970.

Mr. D'Amato also currently serves as a member of the Empire Resorts, Inc. Board of Directors.

Nancy A. Palumbo
Director

Nancy A. Palumbo has nearly 25 years of government experience which includes her service as Director of the New York Lottery where she managed and operated a $6 billion a year business and oversaw the opening of six Video Gaming facilities through out New York. She currently serves as President of Green Planet Group, a company created to bring green energy solutions to businesses around the world. Prior to joining Green Planet Group, Ms. Palumbo was the General Manager of Walker Digital Lottery, a subsidiary of Walker Digital Management, a company owned and operated by Jay Walker, founder of Priceline.com. She has also served as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Corporate Communications for the New York Daily News, New York City’s largest daily newspaper.

Gregg Polle
Director

From 1983 until November 2008 Mr. Polle served as an investment banker with Citigroup Inc. and its predecessors Salomon Brothers and Salomon Smith Barney. He most recently was the head of the global industrial group at Citigroup and previously was the co-head of Citigroup’s global mergers and acquisitions group. A private investor since 2008, Mr. Polle’s investment banking experience spans 25 years, during which time he helped advise numerous companies on a diverse and in-depth variety of corporate finance issues, performed complex financial advisory activities including mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and valuation assignments. Mr. Polle holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

James Simon
Lead Director

James Simon, has served as a director of the Company since August 2007. He has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Marketing Consultants, Inc., a management and marketing consulting firm since he co-founded it in 1994. The firm's client list includes major telecommunications and financial services companies in the United States as well as some of the best known not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Simon is a former executive of the Direct Response Group, Capital Holding Corp., a financial services conglomerate and American Airlines, where he held senior marketing management positions. Prior to joining American Airlines, Mr. Simon spent 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Army. During his last six years in the U.S. Army, he was one of the architects of the marketing strategy used by the Army during its transition from a draft environment to an all-recruit force. Mr. Simon has a B.G.S. undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and an M.S. graduate degree from the University of Kansas.