"That's going to bring a lot of traffic," he added.

The casino is 94,000 square feet. It has 2,000 slot machines, 89 gaming tables, and 12 poker tables. But none of those numbers matter to Schlegel. The most important number to him doesn't exist yet, the extra revenue he's going to receive.

"I don't anticipate a line at my door, out my door." he said. "But the word is going to get out. Local businesses will thrive from it."

How much? Schlegel admits he's not sure.

"I'm going to take that day-by-day, see how it works," he said. "I've never looked forward to a February in the restaurant business. I can tell you that much. But this one I am."

One of Schlegel's customers, Frank Catalano, has been waiting for the opening for years, since he first heard about the plans.

"It's been very interesting," Catalano said. "The opposition, and stuff like that. I was hoping they would pass it and it would go in."

But not everybody was. Casino Free Tyre is part of the opposition. The group is made up of Tyre residents who were opposed to the casino.

Jim Dawley, a member of Casino Free Tyre, said, "We are certainly disappointed that this day has become a reality. We still hold to the belief that this casino, and those like it, will prove to be very costly, not just to New York State alone, but more importantly to those individuals and families who will be negatively affected by the impacts of problem gambling." 

An official with the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce told us there is a general consensus among businesses in the area that the casino will have an economic impact. Chamber leaders are working on plans to encourage casino patrons to visit surrounding businesses.

For his part, Schlegel is working on forming a partnership with del Lago.