MULVANE, Kansas (KSN) -- After years of referendum votes, cancelled commitments, and politicking over placement, it took just months for a temporary casino to finish construction. Friday, casino officials gave the media a first look inside.
To give the facility a Kansas feel, developers used earthy color tones and put plenty of local art on the walls.
But the real draw is their 1300 slot machines and 32 table games. "It's just like Las Vegas," said Mike Dickson, director of casino operations. "We're going to have blackjack, we're going to have roulette, we're going to have craps."
And casino officials hope they're going to have 2 million customers in their first year once they open the doors to the public on the day after Christmas.
Construction is underway on the permanent casino building. Plans call for it to be ready in about a year.
In the meantime, customers will gamble on the floor of what will become a multi-use arena.
Even though it's a temporary location, casino officials believe its good enough to give Kansans a taste of Vegas in their own backyard.
"I really think for an interim temporary casino it came out just spectacular," said general manager Scott Cooper.
Cooper says 1600 people were hired for construction and 500 people now have jobs inside the casino.
A select group of invite-only guests will be allowed inside the Kansas Star Casino on Dec. 16 for a test run. State regulators will be at the event and watching closely.
If they say the casino passes the test, the Kansas Star Casino will open Dec. 26 at 8 a.m.
