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Jeff Babinski, executive vice president and general manager at del Lago, said Monday that nearly 1,400 employees have been hired. This includes table game dealers, cleaners, food service workers and administrative positions. 

The casino will have just under 1,500 employees when the hiring process is complete, Babinski said. An additional 300 employees will be hired to work in the 205-room hotel, which is scheduled to open this summer. 

"We're looking good," Babinski said. "There's just a few here and there that we need to fill." 

Del Lago recently launched a third dealer school session for those who will staff the table games at the casino. Some of the participants have already advanced through the audition phase and offered positions, Babinski said. 

There were 111 people who successfully completed the first dealer school session. More than 130 people completed the second session. 

With over 240 dealer school graduates, Babinski said del Lago reached its target — and more. 

"Our goal initially was to get 200 trained and we exceeded that," he said. "So it was a great from the table games department's standpoint and I was very excited to see the interest from everybody within the region and the county who were interested in joining our team and learning how to deal the games."

ENTERTAINMENT

Babinski took to Facebook Live Monday and announced the latest concert at The Vine, del Lago's 2,400-seat entertainment venue. 

Dustin Lynch, a country music singer, will . Tickets start at $50. 

Del Lago will launch a new promotion Tuesday for another show that will be announced next Monday, Babinski said. 

With the Lynch announcement, The Vine now has seven concerts or comedy shows scheduled over the next three months. Babinski said there isn't a specific number they're aiming for. Instead, they're more focused on the quality of the programming. 

"Mainly, from my standpoint, it has to be the right entertainer, the right show, the right feel, the right mix for what I think is going to work in the area," he said. "I'm not going to sacrifice and just put somebody in there to put in there. I want to make sure that it's somebody people are going to be like, 'Yeah, I've gotta go see that one.'" 

GAMING

The casino's 2,000 slot machines are nearly all installed. Babinski said all but a few have power and the necessary data. 

There's a checklist the slot machine technicians are going through to ensure the equipment is functioning properly. The state requires certain tests, which the technicians have been working to complete. 

"They've been knocking those out," Babinski said. "We'll probably be completed with all the mandatory checks and testing by the end of this week." 

The table games are in place except for the poker room, Babinski said. Crews are painting the poker room. Once that is complete, the tables will be installed. 

FOOD

Babinski said the restaurants inside the casino are progressing and will be ready for opening day. He singled out one venue in his assessment of the dining establishments. 

"(The Farmer's Market Buffet), quite honestly, looks amazing," he said. "Out of all the buffets I've seen or worked at, this is truly an amazing venue." 

The del Lago team visits the buffet daily to taste the food being prepared by the chefs. The chefs are in the process of fine tuning their recipes, Babinski said.