Detroit Casino News -
2008
December 19, 2008
Early this morning,
the Michigan Legislature concluded the 2008 legislative session
without reaching an agreement regarding a statewide smoking ban.
Despite strong efforts, including a final conference committee
meeting which began at 12:40 a.m., the legislation failed to reach
an agreement over the proposed ban (HB 4163).
December 17, 2008
Greektown Casino
announced changes to its Casino Management Board. These changes
included the addition of Jacob Miklojcik, Louis Glazier, and Ted
Gatzaros to the board. These gentlemen were all found suitable by
the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) at its public meeting on
Wednesday.
November 28, 2008
Greektown Casino-Hotel
opened its new High Limit Gaming Area. The casino’s high limit area
had been closed since May 27, 2008 for extensive remodeling as part
of the permanent casino facility project.
November 7, 2008
The
Greektown Casino-Hotel is now accepting reservations for its 400-room
resort-style hotel, which is set to open in early February, 2009. In
addition to taking hotel room bookings,
Greektown Casino-Hotel is
also accepting reservations for its 10,000 square foot of
state-of-the-art meeting space that will also be available when the
hotel opens.
October 24, 2008
MotorCity Casino Hotel’s new Sound
Board live-music theater venue, with performances by Anita Baker and
Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks opened.
October 10, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the September, 2008 total adjusted
revenue figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit
Casino $44,797,052.83,
MotorCity Casino $ 36,110,657.12 and
Greektown Casino $25,216,180.44. The three Detroit casinos’ total
adjusted gross receipts for September, 2008 were $106,123,890.39.
MGM Grand
Detroit has announced plans for its second set of layoffs
since opening its permanent facilities last October. During the next
two to four weeks,
MGM Grand
Detroit plans to lay off “less than 100” hourly employees
working in the Casino food and beverage department, including
reducing staff at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak, Saltwater and the
Wolfgang Puck Grille.
Upon opening its permanent
facilities in October, 2007, MGM hired approximately 1,000
additional employees. However, in April, 2008,
MGM Grand
Detroit
laid off approximately 100 employees, citing slower than expected
business.
October 3, 2008
On Tuesday, the Michigan House of
Representatives voted 50 to 49 against Senate Substitute for House
Bill 4163 (HB 4163) which seeks to ban smoking in all public places,
including the Detroit casinos. For passage, the bill would require
56 votes. The House did decide to allow reconsideration of the bill,
and it thus could be brought up again in the future.
September 12, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the August, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino
$50,078,510.07,
MotorCity Casino $ 41,065,015.38 and
Greektown Casino $26,823,123.82. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted
gross receipts for August, 2008 were $117,966,649.27.
On Tuesday,
MotorCity Casino
unveiled its newly renovated and expanded 1 million square foot
entertainment complex. The three year project coincides with
MotorCity Casino’s $300 million transformation, which has occurred
continually over the past three years.
The expanded gaming floor adds
25,000 square feet, bringing the total gaming space to 100,000
square feet. Other additions include a 400-room hotel, theater and
convention center. The casino has also added a 1,886 seat,
state-of-the-art entertainment theatre to attract various venues and
shows.
Introduced yesterday, Senate Bill
1502, legislation initiated by Michigan Senator Jud Gilbert
(R-Algonac) would require Detroit casinos to perform checks on
customers with winnings over $1,000 to verify whether or not they
currently owe child support. If the casino discovers the patron does
owe, the casino would be required to pay toward the debt and award
the difference to the winner. If the legislation passes, it would
require the Department of Treasury to provide access to a list of
individuals with known child support debts. In addition, Senate Bill
1502 would require the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board to attempt to
make agreements with Michigan’s Native American tribes for them to
voluntarily comply with these checks.
Yesterday, the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) announced that as of next Monday, September 15,
its Licensing Division will be relocated to the City of Detroit.
Previously, the MGCB’s licensing office was located in East Lansing,
Michigan.
The new location for the MGCB
Licensing Division will be at:
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
Licensing Division
3062 West Grand Blvd.
Suite L-700
Detroit, Michigan 48202-6062
September 5, 2008
Last Thursday, August 28, 2008,
Greektown Casino unveiled 25,000 square feet of new gaming space,
bringing the casino’s total gaming space to 100,000 square feet. The
expanded gaming floor is part of a $550 million construction
investment for the casino. The casino is currently in the process of
completing phase two of its permanent facilities which includes the
expanded gaming floor and a new 400-room luxury hotel scheduled to
open in February 2009.
The casino addition adds over 600
slot machines. In addition, renovations are being done to the
casino’s VIP gaming area, expected to be finished in late November,
2008.
August 14, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the July, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino
$50,536,188.66,
MotorCity Casino $ 39,579,086.48 and
Greektown Casino $ 25,423,936.01. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted
gross receipts for July, 2008 were $115,539,211.15
July 17, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the June, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino
$48,671,864.67,
MotorCity Casino $ 38,097,328.05 and
Greektown Casino $ 23,227,140.19. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted
gross receipts for June, 2008 were $109,996,332.91.
In preparation for the opening of
its permanent casino and hotel facilities in January, 2009,
Greektown Casino has announced that they will begin hiring up to 400
additional full-time employees. Some available positions that
Greektown Casino is seeking to fill include catering, food and
beverage, restaurant, housekeeping, and security services.
June 27, 2008
Yesterday, Judge Walter Shapero of
the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan entered a Final Order that approves the second half of
Greektown Casino’s proposed $150 Million financing package. The
approval of the Greektown loan will allow the casino to complete
construction on its permanent casino and hotel facility. The
Bankruptcy Court had approved $51.3 Million of the financing package
on June 4, 2008, and this Interim approval was approved by the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) on June 5, 2008.
June 20, 2008
Yesterday, June 19, 2008
Caesars Windsor casino celebrated the official opening of
Caesars Windsor,
in Windsor, Ontario, Canada with an invitation-only gala
celebration. Formerly
Casino Windsor, the re-branding to
Caesars
Windsor was announced in 2006. Since then, over $430M (Canadian) has
been invested in the construction and renovation of the casino
facility.
The gala unveiled
Caesars Windsor’s new hotel tower and convention facilities with the
ceremonial lighting of the 125-foot long, 15-foot tall CAESARS signs
atop the casino’s two hotel towers. The new 27-story Augustus Tower
adds an additional 369 rooms to the casino bringing the grand total
to 758 rooms. The 5,000 seat Colosseum entertainment center is the
largest in the region, out-sizing the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace
in Las Vegas. With over 20 rows of removable seats, the Colosseum
adds an additional 40,000 square feet of convention space to the
casino. Both additions make the new
Caesars Windsor the largest
casino resort in all of Canada.
June 12, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the May, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino
$52,973,612.49,
MotorCity Casino $ 41,948,166.18 and
Greektown Casino $ 28,131,192.20. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted
gross receipts for May, 2008 were $123,052,907.87.
May 29, 2008
Yesterday, the Michigan House of
Representatives passed Substitute for House Bill 5074, calling for a
ban on smoking in public places and in the work place. The proposed
bill contains an exemption for the three Detroit casinos, and is
similar to House Bill 4163, which the House passed on December 5,
2007.
House Bill 5074, introduced in
August of 2007, was originally oriented towards a smoking ban in
college dormitories. The recently amended version of the bill
includes language addressing smoking in the workplace and exempts
Detroit’s three commercial casinos. Bingo halls, tobacco shops,
cigar bars and horse tracks would also be exempt. This new bill now
goes to the Senate for a vote
HB 5074, as well as the Senate
Substitute for House Bill 4163, does not impose smoking restrictions
on Michigan’s Native American casinos currently operating under
Class III Gaming Compacts entered between the various Michigan
tribes and the State of Michigan as a result of Tribal sovereignty
May 15, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the April, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino $
46,864,254.06,
MotorCity Casino $ 40,703,507.79 and
Greektown Casino
$ 28,572,470.64. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted gross
receipts for April, 2008 were $116,140,232.49.
On Tuesday, the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (“MGCB”) ordered
Greektown Casino to provide detailed
financial information to the Board at the June 10, 2008 MGCB
meeting. The MGCB issued the order in response to a request by
Greektown to obtain a waiver of a casino sale enforcement procedure
the Board had set forth in an order issued in 2005 approving the
casino’s financing. The MGCB denied the request for a waiver and
asked
Greektown Casino to provide it with detailed information
related to the casino, and with respect to a new equity investor who
Greektown Casino expects to infuse new capital into the operation.
On Tuesday of this week, the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (“MGCB”) approved several changes to
the comprehensive Michigan Administrative Rules governing the
Detroit casinos including:
1. Adoption of a rule and
procedures governing requests for declaratory rulings from the MGCB.
2. Amendment of the rules relating
to public offering of debt or equity for Michigan casinos to clarify
the application of these rules and to reduce the amount of paperwork
required to be filed by licensees.
3. Amendment of the rules relating
to the conduct of gaming to update them to reflect recent changes in
technology.
4. Adoption of a rule to require
compliance with internal control procedures. The rule provides that
casino licensees and casino license applicants must comply with such
controls or they can be subject to disciplinary action.
The vote by the MGCB on Tuesday
will result in the amended Rules being presented to the Secretary of
State and will take effect seven (7) days thereafter.
May 8, 2008
Today, the Michigan Senate passed
a proposed bill which seeks to ban smoking in public places, as well
as in the Detroit casinos. House Bill 4163 was originally introduced
in January of 2007, and after several changes to the bill were
adopted by the Democratic-controlled House, the bill passed the
House on December 5, 2007 by a vote of 56-46. The House version of
House Bill 4163 called for a ban on indoor smoking in public places,
but excluded private residences, cigar bars, smoke shops, the
Detroit casinos, bingo halls and horse racetracks. The currently
proposed Senate version of House Bill 4163 would not impose smoking
restrictions on Michigan’s Native American casinos currently
operating under Class III Gaming Compacts entered between the
various Michigan tribes and the State of Michigan, as a result of
Tribal sovereignty.
April 24, 2008
The newly re-branded
Caesars Windsor (formerly Casino Windsor) is scheduled to open its new
facilities on Thursday, June 19, 2008. The new casino complex will
feature four new restaurants, 100,000 square feet of convention
space, a 5,000 seat coliseum theatre, and a newly-designed gaming
floor featuring over 90 table games and 2,600 slot machines.
Additionally,
Caesars Windsor will open its 27-story luxury
“Augustus” Hotel Tower which will include 369 rooms to compliment
the existing 389-room hotel tower.
April 17, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board
(MGCB) has recently released the March, 2008 total adjusted revenue
figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino
$50,217,833.17,
MotorCity Casino $41,307,354.29 and
Greektown Casino
$32,230,050.35. The three Detroit casinos’ total adjusted gross
receipts for March, 2008 were $123,755,237.81.
MGM Grand
Detroit announced that it was concluding its employee
layoffs which began last month. The recent layoffs comprised of both
salaried and hourly workers, most of which were hired during the
past six months. Most of the layoffs were limited to food and
beverage operations and hotel staff. According to news reports,
salaried workers will receive severance packages as well as
additional funds for health care, based on tenure.
March
13, 2008
Fred Cleland was recently hired as
the Deputy
Director of Licensing for the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB). Mr. Cleland replaces Ben McMakin, who
resigned his Deputy Director position in Fall, 2006. Most recently,
John Page, Deputy Director of Enforcement, has served as the acting
Deputy Director of Licensing.
March
13, 2008
At the meeting of the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) on Tuesday, March 11, the Board
considered the tax base reduction certification request of casino
licensee Detroit Entertainment, LLC (MotorCity Casino), which is
owned by Marian Ilitch. Pursuant to Public Act 306 of 2004, the
wagering tax rate applicable to the Detroit casinos was increased
from 18% to 24%. However, PA 306 also provided for a rollback of the
wagering tax to 19% once a casino licensee was “fully operational”
for a period of 30 consecutive days.
March
13, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) has recently released the February, 2008 total
adjusted revenue figures for the three Detroit casinos –MGM Grand
Detroit Casino $47,021,788.41,
MotorCity Casino $38,326,971.88 and
Greektown Casino $26,999,351.20. The three Detroit casinos’ total
adjusted gross receipts for February, 2008 were $112,348,111.49.
February 28, 2008
Effective March 3, 2008
Lorenzo Creighton will become president and chief operating officer
of
MGM Grand
Detroit Casino, according to a press release issued by
MGM MIRAGE. Mr. Creighton will replace George Boyer, who will remain
with MGM MIRAGE and serve as a Senior Executive in MGM MIRAGE
Development, a subsidiary of the company.
February
19, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (MGCB) has recently released the January, 2008 total
adjusted revenue figures for the three Detroit casinos –
MGM Grand
Detroit Casino$46,637,248.81,
MotorCity Casino $39,366,692.84 and
Greektown Casino$27,534,937.58 .The three Detroit casinos’ total
adjusted gross receipts for January, 2008 were$113,538,879.23.
January 30, 2008
January 30, 2008,
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced the appointment of
Michael J. Watza to the
Michigan Gaming
Control Board (“MGCB”), and
the reappointments of Judge Benjamin Friedman and Barbara Rom to the
seats that they both previously held on the MGCB. The MGCB is
charged with regulating and overseeing the operation of the three
Detroit casinos in accordance with the Michigan Gaming Control and
Revenue Act.
January 17, 2008
At a news conference on
January 17, 2008, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano unveiled
plans for a $595 million expansion of Cobo Center in downtown
Detroit. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who attended today’s
announcement, has said that Ficano’s current plan is the most viable
plan that has been presented. To show her support for the plan, the
Governor has pledged to refinance and restructure debt owed by the
City of Detroit and Wayne County. It is expected that such a
development would yield $150 million to be put toward the expansion
project.
Ficano’s plan would
cost an estimated $323 million for construction, $110 million to pay
off the Cobo Center’s debt, $142 million for an endowment fund to
pay for operation costs and another $20 million to buy Cobo Center
from the City of Detroit. The expansion and renovation of Cobo
Center is estimated at 120,000 square feet, and includes plans to
build walkways connecting to the Renaissance Center and Sheraton
Detroit Riverside.
January 10, 2008
The
Michigan Gaming
Control Board releases December 2007 Total Adjusted Revenue for the
three Detroit casinos.
MGM Grand
Detroit, Motor City Casino, and
Greektown Casinos reported total adjusted revenues of
$46,746,114.32, $39,522,591.73, and $27,375,747.95 respectively. The
three Detroit casinos’ total annual adjusted gross receipts for 2007
were $1,335,015,891.41.
