The countdown is on for the long-awaited opening of Kansas Crossing Casino & Hotel, which will open its doors to everyone on March 31 when the facility has its soft opening, with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony to follow on April 8.

Workers are busy preparing the nearly complete interior and are setting up slot machines and dealers are being trained in preparation for the soft opening this Friday when the doors of the Pittsburg, Kansas casino and hotel will open to the public at 10:30am.

Local newspaper, The Morning Sun, reports Casino General Manager Doug Fisher said the staff is excited about the opening and he thinks the community is also enthusiastic.

Featured gaming at the $70.2 million facility located in the Southeast Kansas Gaming Zone includes over 625 slot machines, with everything from video poker to video real slots, and 16 table games offering live craps, blackjack, and roulette.

Two Brothers Mining Co, the property’s casual dining restaurant, pays homage to the city’s coal mining days in its design and décor, with, according to Fisher, shadow boxes on the walls that showcase genuine mining equipment from local resident Skip Urich, and a menu that is reminiscent of the post-Prohibition third generations miners era. The Bronco Bar, which is open to the casino floor, will also include a menu, along with the biggest screen TVs in the casino.

The Corral will showcase music, comedy, and other live entertainment and will accommodate more intimate 400-seat shows to a 3,000 person outdoor concert via an outdoor venue, which is slated to open in August according to Fisher. The venue’s first concert is scheduled for Saturday, April 8 at 8pm and tickets are on sale now. In addition to the concert, which will feature Nashville recording artist Jerrod Niemann, the grand opening event will include special promotions and commemorative items in limited quantities, according to the news agency.

Now directly attached to the casino, the Hampton Inn & Suites, will feature an indoor pool, and a fitness center, along with its 123-rooom and suites. In speaking with a staff member of the casino this morning, World Casino Directory was told that they aren’t taking reservations yet and still do not have an opening date for the hotel.

The Event Center at Kansas Crossing, which is connected to the hotel by an atrium, will host national bands, business meetings, and other various events and gatherings. Visitors will be able to see both the event center and restaurant through the atrium without entering the casino. The Event Center features a stage that can “flip-around” to face outside for outdoor concerts.

Fisher told the newspaper that the casino has already hired 375 people and is well on its way to reaching its goal of 400, 300 of which will be full-time. He said that of the 500,000 estimated yearly visitors, approximately half will travel from outside of the county.

The casino was approved by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission back in July of 2015 and was expected to be completed by July of this year; however, the project was delayed due to three extensions granted by the Kansas Lottery. The delays were due mostly to lawsuits from proponents of a competing proposal for the state’s final lottery-owned casino license.

Kansas has four state-run casinos and four federally recognized tribes, which operate six casinos within the state, including the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, which operates the 7th Street Casino in Kansas City.