Lago Casino to break ground in Seneca County

"They are moving equipment on the site as we speak," Wilmot said this afternoon at a celebratory rally at the Finger Lakes Regional Airport, one day after the state chose Lago as one of three full-scale casinos to open in New York.

Wilmot, who has been trying to open a casino for decades, still has to obtain a license from New York for Lago and to fight off legal challenges from Tyre residents opposed to his plans. He conceded today that work would pause for the Christmas holiday.

"The following week we'll really get rolling," he said. "It's full bore ahead, and hopefully, our guys can deliver, and in twelve months, we'll be open."

Lago will cover 85 acres along Route 414, just north of the New York State Thruway and off Exit 41. In addition to slots and table games, the resort will have five restaurants, with menus ranging from steak to seafood. Its 207-room, four-star hotel will be run by Lago, rather than a hospitality chain.

And Lago will also boast a 2,200-seat theater, adding another live performance venue to the Finger Lakes and Central New York. There are no plans for a bingo hall or poker, 

"We believe this facility will be comparable to what you see in Las Vegas," Wilmot said, though its style will fit in with the architecture style of the Finger Lakes, he added.

Wilmot received a standing ovation at the packed airport hangar, where about 150 supporters, union members and local politicians gathered. The crowd had expected Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was taking a victory lap around the state. However, a snowstorm east of Syracuse forced the governor to cancel the Seneca County leg of the trip.

Cuomo began promoting expanded-gaming when he first took office in 2011. During the next three years, he won support from the New York State Legislature and ultimately the state's voters for the expansion.

Finally, on Wednesday, a siting panel under the New York Gaming Commission recommended three proposals win state-issued casino licenses in Seneca County, Schenectady and the Catskills.

Wilmot worked on the Lago proposal for about two years. It grew from a $350 million project  to $425 million during that time. The hotel shrunk from 400 rooms to 207, because local officials worried that it would create too much competition with existing hotels.

Wilmot acknowledged some of Lago's neighbors, including an Amish family, are concerned about the project. Wilmot said he's tried to meet with some of those future neighbors to no avail.

"It's a very small group," he said. "We're talking maybe ten families in the area that are opposed to this."

A group called CasinoFreeTyre says it's collected more than 200 signatures opposed the project. The town of Tyre, Lago's future home, has 858 people, according to U.S. Census estimates. The area is a mix of farms, wineries, golf courses, outlet malls, and small hotels.

Seneca County, the town of Tyre and its planning board all endorsed the plan, Wilmot said today. On Wednesday, the CasinoFreeTyre's lawyer said it was considering suing the state for recommending a license for Lago because the project grew after winning the government approvals.

Wilmot believes the resort will attract many of its visitors from the Rochester area, but he also expects people to come from Buffalo to Syracuse. He expects the resort to have nearly US$ 300 million in gross revenues when it is fully built, with about 80 percent of those receipts coming from the games.

New York currently has gaming in casinos owned by Native Americans and video gambling at harness tracks. Wilmot said today that he's confident the addition of three casinos to New York won't overburden the market. He also opined that recent casino failures in New Jersey won't ripple into Upstate New York. Atlantic City came to rely on commuting gamblers from Philadelphia. When casinos opened in Pennsylvania, he said, the New Jersey strip lost its customers.

Wilmot expects gamblers at Lago to be a mix of day-time visitors and overnight travelers. And it's possible the casino could eventually grow even larger, depending on demand.r

"If we're open and on Friday night every slot has a fanny sitting in front of it, we'll have to expand," Wilmot said, laughing. "I hope we have that problem."

So does Mike Davis, the president of the Finger Lakes Building Trades and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 840. Currently, the local has 55 members out of work, Davis said.

But the union is gearing up for work at Lago, said Davis, who's been meeting with Wilmot since February to talk about the project. Davis lives about three miles from the future casino site and said he'll be driving by it every day. "I can't wait till it's built," Davis said. "I'm going to have dinner there every Friday night."