Empire Resorts must work fast if they are going to find enough people to fill all the employment positions at their new Resorts World Catskills property. The casino and entertainment property is set to open two weeks earlier than first projected, with the operator needing to fill any remaining positions before opening day.

As the owner of the $920 million New York property, Empire Resorts stated on Thursday that the resort style hotel and main casino will be ready for business by mid-February, rather than the previous opening date set for March 1st.

With the earlier opening, it will coincide with the Lunar New Year, a holiday that is important in the Far East, and Asian visitors are expected to be a driving factor for Resorts World Catskills. The casino will have a section catering to Asian players, featuring casino games that are popular in Asia as well as staff members who speak Mandarin.

A recent job fair was held for the property at the Sullivan Event Center, with an estimated 1,000 individuals in attendance. As many as 2,220 employees are needed when future areas of the property are completed.

In a report at Recordonline.com, the Empire Resorts Executive Vice President, Charlie Degliomini, commented: “We’re opening early because we’re not a regional casino, we’re a destination resort-hotel-casino, and there’s worldwide anticipation for our opening. The Asian New Year falls in mid-February, so we didn’t want to miss that opportunity for our business.”

The project will have over 1,400 employment positions available with an expected 2,000 employees hired initially. Within the positions available, Empire Resorts are looking to hiring table game dealers, additional casino staff, employees for the hotel, spa employees, restaurants, bar, etc.

Most of the features of the property will be open by mid-February, with a few exceptions, including the Italian style steakhouse by Scott Conant, a celebrity chef, as well as a few of the hotel suites. Since there will be areas that will open at a later date, Empire Resorts will continue to hire individuals as these areas come online.

Additional project plans will come into effect in 2018 and 2019. In next year’s fourth quarter, the property will be launching a mid-market hotel, two more dining venues and retail space. By early 2019, a family-friendly indoor water park and more hotel space will be opened by a separate company, EPR properties. A golf course will open at the property by the middle of 2019.