When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced last week that Detroit's three casinos could reopen this week, there were a few catches.
READ: Detroit casinos to reopen today amid coronavirus pandemic. Casinos were able to open Wednesday at 15% capacity, leaving many gamblers afraid they wouldn't be able to get in. Greektown Casino 400 Monroe St, Detroit, MI 48226 Greektown Casino Hotel 555 E Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226 Greektown Hotel 1200 Saint Antoine Street, Detroit, MI 48226 Motor City Casino Hotel 2901 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48201 MotorCity Casino Buffet.
Front and center is a 15% capacity restriction, the lowest in the country.
Still, reopenings of Greektown Casino-Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino will drive revenue for a city in need.
'Casinos have been operating safely across most of the country and in tribal areas in Michigan and should be able to do so in the Detroit region as well,' Whitmer wrote in her order.
The Detroit casinos closed March 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, all but one of the state's tribal casinos have reopened. Whitmer is allowing the casinos to reopen at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
MGM Grand announced it will open Aug. 7 instead. Greektown posted on Twitter that it expects to open Wednesday. MotorCity will open Wednesday as well.
Michigan casinos laying off employees during coronavirus
Casinos In Detroit Mich time, meaning that nothing in the game is rigged. To ensure fair play, only choose slots from approved online casinos, Casinos In Detroit Mich such as those we list on this page. Playing at any of these will give you a fair chance of winning. Largest Casinos in Detroit. The largest casino in Detroit, Michigan according to gaming machines and table games put together, is MGM Grand Detroit. The MGM Grand Detroit total casino square footage is 100,000 square feet. It has 3500 gaming machines and 143 tables games. You will also find 17 poker tables and 5 restaurants. Detroit's casinos are limited to 15% capacity when they reopen, which equates to about 1,600 people at a time for Motor City Casino. It will officially reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.
On Thursday, Jocelyn Kelly of MGM told PlayMichigan that restriction would allow about 1,800 patrons on the casino floor. Representatives from MotorCity and Greektown did not respond to inquiries about the capacity restrictions.
Juegos de king of. However, in a letter announcing extended layoffs for 2,554 employees, a MotorCity official detailed the hardships of the restrictions, which were originally detailed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board last month.
David Turner, vice president of human resources for the casino and hotel, signed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice that bemoaned the provisions and delays in reopening.
'In recognition of the limitations under those guidelines, we concluded that our operational levels would be seriously reduced,' the letter states. 'Thus, we reached the conclusion late last month that only about half of our Associates would be needed when we re-opened, and we had no way to predict when we would be permitted to increase operations enough to make it feasible to bring everyone else back to work.'
The letter detailed how MotorCity Casino would not be continuing benefits for the laid-off workers after Friday as July closed.
Other states have higher capacity limits
States across the country are also imposing capacity limits on casinos, though none as strict as Michigan.
In Pennsylvania and Illinois, casinos are open at 50% capacity. In New Jersey, it's 25%.
The capacity limit started at 25% in Louisiana, but was loosened to 50% for the next phase.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Nevada imposing a 50-parishioner limit at churches and allowing 50% capacity at casinos was allowed.
Jacob Miklojcik, a Lansing gaming consultant, said few casinos operate at capacity anyway.
David Turner, vice president of human resources for the casino and hotel, signed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice that bemoaned the provisions and delays in reopening.
'In recognition of the limitations under those guidelines, we concluded that our operational levels would be seriously reduced,' the letter states. 'Thus, we reached the conclusion late last month that only about half of our Associates would be needed when we re-opened, and we had no way to predict when we would be permitted to increase operations enough to make it feasible to bring everyone else back to work.'
The letter detailed how MotorCity Casino would not be continuing benefits for the laid-off workers after Friday as July closed.
Other states have higher capacity limits
States across the country are also imposing capacity limits on casinos, though none as strict as Michigan.
In Pennsylvania and Illinois, casinos are open at 50% capacity. In New Jersey, it's 25%.
The capacity limit started at 25% in Louisiana, but was loosened to 50% for the next phase.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Nevada imposing a 50-parishioner limit at churches and allowing 50% capacity at casinos was allowed.
Jacob Miklojcik, a Lansing gaming consultant, said few casinos operate at capacity anyway.
'It's a part of the lifeblood of the city's economy,' Miklojcik added. 'Not only the gaming tax but business services tax, property taxes, and all kinds of other taxes that the casinos will continue to pay. It's a dangerous game.'
How much will 15% capacity hurt casino business?
The Detroit casinos need as many players as possible inside to maximize revenue.
It's tough to pinpoint how much the capacity restrictions will impact business.
There is surely a pent-up demand for casino gambling in the region. But many players, especially older ones, could stay away from such public places while the pandemic still threatens.
The Detroit Free Press spoke to two analysts with mixed opinions about the restrictions.
Alex Calderone of Calderone Advisory Group of Birmingham warns the pain will continue for casino and tax revenue.
'Unless everyone who comes in the door plays and loses five or six more times than they normally would, it's nearly impossible to generate similar revenues.'
Casinos reopening as state still fights COVID-19
How Many Casinos Are In Detroit
There are about 600 new coronavirus cases per day in Michigan after a drop in mid-June.
Daily death counts are far below those of March and April when the virus hit the Detroit area hard. Whitmer's order Wednesday also restricted indoor gatherings to 10 people and closed indoor bars in northern Michigan.
'As we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Michiganders can not afford to drop our guard,' Whitmer said, in a statement. 'We must take every step possible to save lives, protect the brave men and women on the front lines, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system while we continue to combat COVID-19.
'After seeing a resurgence in cases connected to social gathering across the state, we must further limit gatherings for the health of our community and economy. By taking these strong actions, we will be better positioned to get our children back into classrooms and avoid a potentially devastating second wave.'
DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Due to the Coronavirus, there has been a ban on gambling as policymakers try to establish post COVID-19 guidelines to keep the public safe. In an article by the Detroit Free Press, plans have been released top open up Detroit's three Casinos, based on CDC recommendations, Nevada Gaming Board guidelines, and the National Indian Gaming Commission.
While Governor Whitmer hasn't set an opening yet, some tribal casinos have already opened as they do not fall under the state of Michigan's jurisdiction.
READ MORE: Alpena Woman, Margaret Suszek, Celebrates 100th and Recovery From COVID-19Changes include inside casinos will be that visitors will have their temperatures scanned. Guests who register 100.4F degrees will be turned away. All casino patrons will be required to wear masks, and quite possibly to some the biggest change is no smoking on Casino floors, but designated places would be set aside for smokers. When Michigan passed its no-smoking ban, casinos were one of the few places exempted.
Gaming board Executive Director Richard Kalm told the Detroit Free Press, 'if we are attempting to limit the spread of COVID-19 exposure, we should probably limit the smoking,'.
READ MORE: Kroger Warns Customers Personal Information Was Stolen From Pharmacy DatabaseCredit: CBS Detroit | Charles Forbes – Greektown Casino + Hotel.
Along with those changes, there will be no valet service, coat check, or poker rooms. The other change will require six-foot social distancing. It remains to be seen how that will be implemented among slot machines and table games like Blackjack. It is also being recommended that self serve buffets be canceled. Casino's like Motor City have made a following with their Assembly Line Buffet.
They also propose enacting that casinos limit the total number of guests to 15% of their legal capacity. This will probably limit the number of people allowed in at any time to 1,400 to 1,500 people. Kalm said signs would be on telling patrons at the parking lot if casinos are at capacity.
Greektown Casino Detroit
According to the Free Press, casino's paid $38 million last year in taxes to the City of Detroit. This loss in revenue has made a heavy impact on Detroit's budget.
MORE NEWS: Governor Whitmer Declared State of Emergency To Bring More Energy To Michigan Homes© 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Information from the Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.
