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DEL LAGO RESORT & CASINOdel Lago Resort & Casino set to open | 1:07

del Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre is set to open next week. Shawn Dowd, Todd Clausen

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DEL LAGO RESORT & CASINOInside look at del Lago | 0:49

A first inside look at the del Lago Resort & Casino, which opens to the public on Wednesday. Wochit

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DEL LAGO RESORT & CASINOChef Fabio Viviani previews new Portico restaurant | 1:51

The "Top Chef" alumnus says his new restaurant at del Lago casino will feature the flavors of his native Italy but will source as many ingredients as possible locally. Tracy Schuhmacher and Shawn Dowd

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DEL LAGO RESORT & CASINOSchool teaches new dealers about black jack | 0:58

Kayla Sciarabba, 20, of Geneva, was offered a job by del Lago Resort & Casino after going through a free dealer's program offered by the new Seneca County casino. Todd Clausen

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DEL LAGO RESORT & CASINOFlyover virtual tour: Lago Resort & Casino | 3:50

On Wednesday the state Gaming Facilities Location Board announced recommendations for casinos at three sites, including Tyre, Seneca County, where Wilmorite Inc. is planning to build the $425 million Lago Resort project. Provided video.

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• del Lago Resort & Casino set to open
• Inside look at del Lago
• Chef Fabio Viviani previews new Portico restaurant
• School teaches new dealers about black jack
• Flyover virtual tour: Lago Resort & Casino

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Table games dealer Fairuz Zraik, Liverpool, center, clears away a hand as she deals to other table dealers as they go through training on one of the gaming tables at the del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. (Photo: SHAWN DOWD/@sdowdphoto/, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

• State's newest casino opens Wednesday after a yearslong effort by Wilmorite chairman.
• The $440 million del Lago Resort & Casino opens at Feb. 1 off Thruway Exit 41.

As downtown Rochester continues to trudge through a sluggish transformation, a sign of what could have been will open roughly 50 miles away in a Seneca County town of less than 1,000 residents hungry for new life.

Rochester-area mall mogul Thomas C. Wilmot and Iowa-based JNB Gaming on Wednesday will open the glitzy $440 million del Lago Resort & Casino with 2,000 slots, 89 table games, multiple restaurants and food court areas, a 2,400-seat entertainment venue and more.

A 205-room hotel and spa are scheduled to open in the town of Tyre later this year. Roughly 1,500 casino workers and about 100 other workers have been preparing for the opening.

"Some people really put a lot of effort to making … this possible," said Wilmot. "I think only positive things will come from this."

Wilmot first proposed a similar project nearly 15 years ago for the Sibley building in downtown Rochester, but was turned back after several leaders viewed the project as too risky despite promises of jobs in a $500 million redevelopment of the site and construction of a nearby performing arts center.

Now city leaders continue to search for ways to fund a new performing center. They also are working to develop vacant land in the former Midtown area while guiding downtown through a long rebirth.

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Meanwhile, del Lago has already helped Tyre cut property taxes in half, welcome new businesses and affordable housing and begin discussions with developers on other projects.

Tyre Town Supervisor Ronald McGreevy said the page has started to turn for Tyre, which had lower income median levels, higher unemployment and higher poverty than many of its neighbors.

"Seneca County as a whole has suffered over the years. This list goes on and on," said McGreevy. "We desperately need projects such as this."

The exodus of jobs over the years at the former Seneca Army Depot and other large employers has hurt the area, he added.

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Work continues inside and out in preparation of the grand opening on Feb. 1, at the del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017.  (Photo: SHAWN DOWD/@sdowdphoto/, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Long road

The casino hasn't come without a good fight. Indian-run casinos mounted legal challenges. There were screams that the state was mortgaging its soul for economic purposes.

Horsemen at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack have been bracing for the impact of del Lago, meeting with state leaders to secure a stable future.

New Yorkers decided those reasons weren't enough to stop casinos, and in 2013 approved a constitutional amendment allowing for their creation. Wilmot and his partners then put together a massive plan that estimates $263 million in gaming revenues this year, according to documents with the state Gaming Commission.

About half of those revenues are projected to be new to the state, while 21 percent is expected to be lured from the state's racinos and 30 percent from Indian-run casinos, according to paperwork filed by del Lago.

Both the Seneca and Oneida nations said recently that they continue to thrive while competition in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio has increased. Their investments in venues in the Buffalo area and in Verona, they claim, provide a top-line experience. Revenue figures for casinos run by the Senecas and Oneidas weren't disclosed.

"There has been massive gaming proliferation across the Northeast over the last two decades," said Joel Barkin, a spokesman for the Oneida Nation. "We are confident that the unique entertainment experience we provide ... has us well-positioned moving forward."

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Some of the 2000 slot machines at the del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017.  (Photo: SHAWN DOWD/@sdowdphoto/, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

The del Lago casino is expected to bring about $85 million annually in taxes and fees to the state, with Tyre and Seneca County projected to receive nearly $6.5 million more, according to state documents.

Wilmot's team received a license to operate a casino last year after paying $50 million to the state, with some of those funds having already been given to Trye and Seneca County.

About seven weeks ago, Tioga Downs opened a casino roughly half the size of del Lago. Slots at Tioga Downs have generated nearly $105 million with table games and poker generating nearly $16.5 million.

Gross gaming revenue — essentially net profit — totaled about $18.7 million, according to state documents.

Del Lago is likely to surpass those figures with an anticipated 3.2 million guests expected during its first year in operation.

"We're going to do everything we can to meet the expectation when the committee made the license to us," said Wilmot. "I hope people have the best experience they ever had in a casino when they come."

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A first inside look at the del Lago Resort & Casino, which opens to the public on Wednesday. Wochit

Inside del Lago

Designs for del Lago — Italian for "of the lake" — draw inspiration from the Finger Lakes and the Old World.

The casino floor has several high-arched ceilings, artists have hand-painted images of the countryside in a buffet area, and classic architecture is dotted throughout the building.

Slot machines fill much of the 94,000-square-foot gaming floor. Large-screen TVs near several of the table games provide additional entertainment.

Those playing slots can order drinks directly through an interface on the machine, with orders sent to a nearby wait staff who look to deliver beverages in eight minutes or less, said Jeff Babinski, del Lago general manager.

Alcoholic drinks will be provided free of charge to guests earning 2,000 points or more on a Players Club card. Those not having enough points or not using the card will have to pay.

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The "Top Chef" alumnus says his new restaurant at del Lago casino will feature the flavors of his native Italy but will source as many ingredients as possible locally. Tracy Schuhmacher and Shawn Dowd

Del Lago has several eating areas, including the Italian-inspired Portico by Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviana; a food court with Moe's Southwest Grill, Smashburger and Ciccino's, an eatery with other nearby locations; and a Farmer’s Market Buffet. A bar and lounge area called Centrifico is in the middle of the casino.

While the gaming floor has a wide-open feel, the music and décor of several areas create more intimacy.

The Vine is a 2,400-capacity entertainment venue, with adjacent bar and French Quarter-inspired restaurant. It has already sold out a Feb. 10 show with Bad Company. Flo Rida (Feb. 11), Boyz II Men (March 3), Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (March 11) and Bret Michaels (March 24) are also on the schedule, along with Larry the Cable Guy (Feb. 18).

Poker and high-limit games are in areas just off the main gaming floor. The restrooms have chandeliers, marble countertops and tile floors that might be worth showing off to friends, if just for the elegance.

A social media wall features Twitter posts monitored by del Lago staff using the #delLagoNY hashtag. The slot machines proclaim on a digital screen that "Del Lago is the best place on Earth."

"There is a high energy and lots of excitement," Babinski said. "I just hope everybody is pleased with what we have done."

Wilmot said there are currently no plans to add to the property, once the hotel and other areas completed. "If the market demands something we're not providing, then we'll obviously attempt to create whatever the customer wants."

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