Empire City Casino in Yonkers are rolling the dice on a reported $850 million deal with MGM Resorts International, and businesses near the gaming facility seem to like the odds of cashing in once the new owners take over.

Restaurant owner John Greco's reaction is excited about the deal because he says it will bring a lot more people to Yonkers, which means more business for him. Greco hopes MGM will build a convention center.

Barber Slava Shushakov says he has been waiting for the deal for six years.

Managers at a popular comic book store on Yonkers Avenue and right across from Empire City say they are just as excited about the MGM takeover. MGM hasn't said yet what it plans to do with the 97-acre property, but the hope at "The Spider's Web" is they'll keep Yonkers Raceway.

"We have a lot of guys who come in from racing horses, and they come here to spend money. It's a good thing to have right there,” says comic book store manager Andrew Gonzalez.

Pending regulatory approval, the Empire City MGM deal is expected to close in early 2019.

Empire City Casino and raceway are currently owned by the Rooney family, which also controls the Pittsburgh Steelers.