New York state gaming legislators took a long time to approve the licenses for the three casino operators within the state, but finally rolled out approval in December 2015. One of those licenses issued went to the development of the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady.  The casino will be constructed at Mohawk Harbour on 60 acres of land at the Alco site which is located off Erie Boulevard.

The casino is a joint-development venture between the Galesi Group and Rush Street Gaming, both wasting no time in proceeding with the construction and development of this casino. The casino is expected to open by March 2016 if weather conditions remain good in New York and everything goes as per plan.

The developers organized a ground breaking ceremony on 3rd of February and had around 200 guests gather in a tent which was set up to deal with the rain. Some of the top executives of Rush Gaming and the Galesi Group were present at the ceremony, including the CEO of the Galesi Group, Francesco Galesi. Some of the other key individuals present at the ceremony included Tony Jasenski, Schenectady County Legislature Chairman and Gary McCarthy, the Schenectady Mayor.

In a statement, Gary McCarthy said “Francesco had the vision, the perseverance and the foresight to do so many things not only in the Capital Region but also on a much bigger scale. It’s an exciting day. We have a great team here.”

The casino project is estimated to cost around $330 million to complete and based on market analysis; the Rivers Casino is expected to bring in around $190 million in revenue before the end of 2017. The casino is expected to have 15 poker tables, 63 table games, 1,150 slot machines and a 163 room hotel that will be located adjacent to the property. A decision on the name for the casino hotel is expected to be made in the coming weeks.

The casino project will also include the development of extensive green waterfront space, a day spa, an entertainment lounge, a banquet facility and steakhouse with an outdoor patio. Casino developers are working simultaneously on constructing different parts of the project in an effort to speed up construction work and open the casino as per schedule.

The Rivers Casino & Resort is expected to create around 1,400 temporary construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs, once the casino is fully operational. Casino management are expected to start their recruiting process by the end of February and will set up a dedicated website to assist with the recruiting of employees for the Rivers casino.

Rush Street has opened out an office at Galesi’s Center City building which is located on State Street in downtown. The new office will currently serve as information hub for the Rivers casino and remain open till the casino is fully constructed.