One of three Central New York casinos owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, construction work continues on the tribe’s Point Place Casino after getting started last month. Located on Route 31 in Bridgeport in Madison County, the 65,000 square-foot casino, estimated to cost between $40 million and $50 million, is being built near the corner of Bridgeport-Kirkville Road, just a few hundred feet from Onondaga County near Cicero. The tribe purchased the land totaling just shy of 109 acres late last year and will reportedly use about 15 of that for the casino.
The facility will reportedly be smoke-free, serve alcohol, and feature 20 table games and nearly 500 slot machines. Other amenities include a pair of quick eats counter-service restaurants, including Burgers of Madison County and Wicked Good Pizza. The latter can also be found at both of the Oneida’s other two casinos, Yellow Brick Road Casino and Turning Stone. Additionally, Turning Stone’s bakery and chocolatier, Opals Confectionery, will also open a location at the new casino. There will also be two cocktail lounges and parking for about 800 vehicles, according to an earlier report.
Originally the tribe had said that construction would begin in May this year but that ended up changing to July, with an expected opening by spring 2018. The start of construction last month follows the Project Labor Agreement between the tribe and the Central and Northern New York Building & Construction Trades Council. The result of which will reportedly see the creation of 250 construction jobs over the duration of the project. According to the Rome Sentinel, Jason Bort of Syracuse-based Huen Electric said that work for them has been a bit slow. “My company is installing the outside electrical work, and we have also bid on the interior electrical work. We’re waiting to hear whether we’ve won the bid,” Bort reportedly said.
Upon opening next year the casino will reportedly have some 200 permanent positions, with hiring to begin in the fall. The casino will be the closest one to Onondaga County, about 10 miles from where the Oneida’s Yellow Brick Road Casino is situated, a mile from the Onondaga County Line. Oneida Nation officials said the inspiration for Point Palace came from its Yellow Brick Road Casino, which also served as the model for the new casino.
