New York’s del Lago Casino Resort Prepares For Official Opening

The del Lago Resort & Casino is the newest casino to hit the New York market and is scheduled to open later this week. The resort is located just off the state Thruway in the city of Tyre and is one of the four upstate casinos that were issued licenses after the state legalized gambling in 2013.

Spread over 414,000 square feet, the $440-million casino hotel will offer 205 hotel rooms, a spa and several restaurants along with 94,000 square feet of gaming space. Gaming facilities include 2,000 slot machines, 77 table games and 12 poker tables. While the casino floor will be opened to public this week, the hotel along with the spa and parking garage is slated to open in the summer.

Of the four casinos licenses issued, the first to open was Tioga Downs located in Nichols in early December. After del Lago, the >Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady is scheduled to open on Feb. 8 and finally the Montreign Casino located in the Catskills will open early next year.

del Lago Resort & Casino

The del Lago casino is a joint venture between Wilmorite, a Rochester-based developer and JNB Gaming from Iowa. According to the developer, the site was chosen for its great access since it is in close proximity to the Thruway. The casino site is also located halfway between the cities of Rochester and Syracuse, while being close to Canada.

Apart from a hotel and a casino del Lago will offer several other exciting amenities such as the ‘Vince’ concert hall which can seat 2,400 people and extensive dining facilities featuring fine dining brands like Portico, a high-end Italian steakhouse from Celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani. A food court with a range of options including Ciccino's Pizzeria & Paninoteca in Waterloo and Smashburger is also planned. Another restaurant called the Sociale will open later in the year.

An interesting feature being introduced is The Farmers Market Buffet. The casino has tied up with local farmers for providing fresh ingredients for the buffet as well as other restaurants.

The first concert to be hosted by the Vine would be of Bad Company scheduled for Feb 10. The del Lago casino project currently employs 1,442 construction personnel as work continues on the spa and the hotel. Around 1,500 casino workers have been hired and a further 300 would be hired for the restaurants, spa and hotel, bringing the hiring to the promised 1,800 mark. The casino is expected to bring in around $260 million in revenue during its initial phase.

Adrian Sterne

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