The mini-casino opening in Islandia is expected to be open for business this December, but some residents are still suing the village to stop the casino.

As News 12 has reported, the controversial casino was approved by the village board to be built at the Islandia Marriott Hotel located right off the Long Island Expressway.

The casino operator, Delaware North, says renovations are already underway on a part of the hotel that will house the new gaming venue. Construction will start next month.

However, the lawyer representing residents suing the village and Delaware North, says that building is a bad idea.

Islandia village approved a special permit for the casino in August. Board members have said the casino will bring in enough revenue to lower taxes for residents, in addition to creating more jobs. The state's Gaming Commission has also approved the plan.

The casino operator expects to have up to 300 video lottery machines up and running by the end of this year, with all 1,000 machines running sometime in 2017.

Suffolk OTB did not return News 12's calls for comment Thursday, but officials have said they are optimistic the casino will help OTB come out of bankruptcy.