Locals turned out in large numbers last Wednesday to get a taste of the new del Lago Resort and Casino on its opening day in New York’s Finger Lakes region.
The $440 million resort, located just off the New York State Thruway in the town of Tyre, is the second of four Las Vegas-style commercial casinos to open in New York under a 3-year-old state law to expand the industry beyond tribally owned casinos and machine gaming at racetracks.
“I’m excited for the community, which has been really excited about the property, and it looks amazing,” said del Lago Vice President and General Manager Jeff Babinski.
Jointly owned by Rochester, N.Y., developer Wilmorite and JNB Gaming of Iowa, the resort features 2,000 state-of-the-art slot machines, 77 table games and 12 poker tables. Non-gaming attractions include the Farmer’s Market Buffet, a gourmet restaurant under celebrity chef Fabio Viviani and a food court. There are six restaurants in all. The entertainment side is held up by a 2,400-seat concert venue called The Vine and a lounge in the center of the casino floor.
A 205-room hotel with a spa and additional eateries is in the works for this summer. In the meantime, del Lago is making use of a connected non-gaming hotel with some 200 rooms and banquet and meetings facilities.
del Lago’s opening will be followed this week by the opening of Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady and Montreign Casino in the Catskills early next year.
The first of the four new casinos opened in December as an expansion of the Tioga Downs racino in Nichols in south-central New York.
Babinski said 1,500 employees are already on board at del Lago, most of them recruited from the local region, with more to come as work progresses on the new hotel.
“We’re going to generate a lot of tax revenue to the state,” he said.
