Controversial Islandia Marriott Casino To Open In December

ISLANDIA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A controversial gambling casino is set to open in Suffolk County just in time for the holiday season -- sparking concerns for some area residents.

Homeowners in view of the Islandia Marriot, the site of the planned casino, aren't happy to hear it's scheduled to open in December, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.

"The amount of traffic. People who are coming to be gambling. It's just not a residential activity," Christine, a resident, said. 

Opponents are still trying to stop the gambling operation with a lawsuit, but casino plans are moving forward.

Mayor Allan Dorman previously said it will help bring tax relief to the village and create hundreds of jobs.

"It will have a real impact on local village families and their ability to withstand the high cost of living on Long Island," he said after the project was approved in August.

Some residents are willing to give it a chance.

"I could live with it," one resident told Xirinachs. "If people are gonna gamble and do what they please anyway so who am I to tell them they can't do it."

New York voters approved casinos in a 2013 referendum, but critics say it was a lose-lose for Long Island and that gaming parlors were included either way, imposed by an appointed OTB board that bypasses local zoning laws.