Motor City Casino Closed
Based on the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s order, MotorCity Casino will be closing to the general public tomorrow, March 16, 2020 at 12 noon. As of right now, we will be closed for 14 days. Executive Order 2020-100 (ordering casinos closed through June 12, 2020) Executive Order 2020-110 (ordering casinos closed indefinitely) Based on the initial order, MotorCity's casino and various related amenities, located at 2901 Grand River Blvd, Detroit, MI 48201, were closed, and we temporarily furloughed most of.
The three Detroit casinos closed on Nov. 18 under a new order announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
But they reportedly will be allowed to open again on Monday.
Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino shut their doors as part of a three-week shutdown to prevent and fight the coronavirus spread in Michigan. The original shutdown was extended through Dec. 20.
New directives from the state allow for the Detroit casinos to open under certain conditions and health and safety restrictions. In addition, tribal casinos are either closing doors or adding restrictions to gameplay and entertainment on site.
This is the second time this year that casinos closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Detroit casinos closed on March 16, five days after Michigan sports betting launched, and reopened five months later in early August. Until last week, Detroit casinos operated with 15% capacity limits and numerous safety protocols.
Stay up to date on the latest information about casino closures, restrictions, and reopenings here with PlayMichigan. Here’s what we know.
Michigan casinos closing due to COVID-19 pandemic (updates)
Dec. 18 updates
2:30 p.m. — New statewide directives clear way for Detroit casinos to open Monday
Gov. Whitmer announced Friday an extension of Michigan COVID-19 restrictions, though she allowed the Detroit casinos to open on Monday.
Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino are allowed to reopen, though none have announced intentions to do so.
The restrictions include the following:
- Limit attendance to 20% capacity in fixed seating areas.
- Limit attendance to 20 persons per 1.000 square feet in non-fixed seating areas.
- No food and drink.
- Total occupancy in each room is limited to 100 persons.
Dec. 15 updates
1 p.m. — Bay Mills extends closure until Dec. 28
An Upper Peninsula tribal casino will miss out on some holiday gambling this year.
Bay Mills Casino in Brimley announced this week that it has extended its closure until the morning of Dec. 28, meaning it will miss out on gaming over the Christmas holiday weekend.
Dec. 8 updates
4:45 p.m. — Little River, Kewadin Casinos reopening Wednesday morning
Little River Casino Resort in Manistee will reopen on Wednesday morning, along with five Kewadin Casinos in the state’s Upper Peninsula.
At Little River, slots will be available at 8 a.m., and table games will open at 10 a.m., according to the casino’s announcement. The casino will close at midnight.
Sportsbook kiosks will be open throughout each day, but the River Rock Sportsbook & Grill bar only will open on Saturday and Sunday.
Kewadin will open its five locations at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Table games will not be open at any location.
Full details for the reopenings are posted on their website.
Bay Mills and Kings Club in Brimley, along with the three Detroit casinos, remain closed.
Dec. 7 updates
3 p.m. — Governor announces extension of Detroit casino closure
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday afternoon that the closure of some Michigan businesses, including Detroit’s three casinos, is extended through Dec. 20.
Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino have been closed since Nov. 18.
We’ll check with tribal casinos across the state for any updates. Kewadin Casinos, which has five casinos in the Upper Peninsula, is still slated to reopen on Wednesday.
Dec. 4 updates
11 a.m. — Bay Mills Casino extends closure another week
Bay Mills Casino will stay closed through Dec. 18, extending the shutdown one more week than originally planned for the Brimley facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“It is likely that we will revisit this on a week-by-week basis until the end of the year,” Bay Mills Indian Community Chairman Bryan Newland said on Facebook.
There is not yet word on reopenings in Detroit, as current health department restrictions expire next week.
Dec. 3 updates
9 a.m. — Face shields no longer enough at Odawa
Odawa Casino announced Monday it will no longer accept face shields as a face covering for guests and team members.
Mgm Grand Detroit
According to a Facebook post from the Petoskey casino, “FACE SHIELDS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED unless they are being worn for extra protection in combination with a cloth mask or neck gaiter.”
Nov. 30 updates
1 p.m. — Caesars Windsor temporarily closes
Caesars Windsor, across the border from Detroit, has temporarily closed as of midnight early Monday morning.
The move comes as Windsor-Essex moves to the red, or control, level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response, CBC reports.
Nov. 23 updates
Noon — Little River becomes 11th Michigan casino to close
Little River Casino Resort in Manistee is the latest Michigan casino to close because of the pandemic.
The casino closed on Sunday and plans to be closed through Dec. 9.
Which casinos are closed in Michigan right now?
Detroit’s trio of casinos, Greektown Casino, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino, closed last week through Dec. 8 by order of the state’s health department. The closure was extended through Dec. 20.
Tribal casinos are operated by their autonomous tribes, which are not governed by Whitmer. Tribal casinos closed in Michigan include:
- Little River Casino in Manistee, closed for three weeks but reopened Dec. 9
- Bay Mills Resort in Brimley, closed through Dec. 28
- Kings Club Casino, Brimley, closed since March because of pandemic
- Five Kewadin Casinos in the Upper Peninsula, closed for three weeks but reopened Dec. 9
Bay Mills Casino in Brimley announced its closure at noon on Wednesday until Dec. 11. It later extended the closure.
With the increase of cases and exposure to Covid_19 in our area, Bay Mills Resort and Casino will be closing for three weeks. Please see attached press release for more details. @ Bay Mills Resort & Casinos https://t.co/gQXYpIP6Hz
— Bay Mills Casinos (@BayMillsCasinos) November 16, 2020
Which casinos are open in Michigan right now?
Fifteen tribal casinos remain open:
- FireKeepers Casino, Battle Creek
- Four Winds Casinos, Dowagiac, Hartford, New Buffalo
- Gun Lake Casino, Wayland
- Island Resort Casino, Harris
- Leelanau Sands, Peshawbestown
- Northern Waters Casino Resort, Watersmeet
- Odawa Casinos, Mackinaw City and Petoskey
- Ojibwa Casinos, Baraga and Marquette
- Saganing Eagles Landing, Standish
- Soaring Eagle Casino Resort, Mount Pleasant
- Turtle Creek, Williamsburg
Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant announced on Facebook that it will remain open.
“Should new information emerge that indicates otherwise, we will revisit this decision,” a statement read. “We will continue to review protocols in all areas of our operation and make adjustments as deemed appropriate.”
FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek also plans to stay open.
As a critical infrastructure of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, FireKeepers will, for the time being, continue to operate under strict health & safety protocols designed to keep our Team Members and guests safe. https://t.co/MKsuhSFgqF
— FireKeepers Casino (@FireKeepers) November 16, 2020
Odawa Casino, which has locations in Petoskey and Mackinaw City, also plans to stay open.
Detroit casinos closed Nov. 18 at midnight
The statewide closure began at midnight early Wednesday morning last week. High schools, in-person dining, theaters, and group fitness classes are also among the other closures outlined by Whitmer.
MGM Grand announced it will close at 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
In accordance with the State Health Department’s November 15 Order, MGM Grand Detroit will temporarily close as of 11:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 17. For updates, please visit: https://t.co/OZniL9PWlmpic.twitter.com/eWv9wlMyD8
— MGM Grand Detroit (@MGMGrandDetroit) November 16, 2020
MotorCity announced Monday that it will stay open all the way until 12:01 a.m. early Wednesday morning, an hour after MGM.
Based on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS) Epidemic Order, MotorCity Casino will be closing to the general public Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 12:01am.
For more information, please visit our website at: https://t.co/4H4Y0F26C7pic.twitter.com/SEE1ugUYbf
— MotorCity Casino (@MotorCityCasino) November 16, 2020
General Manager John Draketold the Detroit News that Greektown “has been successfully operating under comprehensive safety protocols since reopening in August, in addition to significantly reduced capacity levels. We will continue to work closely with the Michigan Gaming Control Board, state and local leaders, and public health officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and we hope to resume operations as quickly as possible.”
Greektown announced it would close at 9 p.m. Tuesday night.
Greektown Casino-Hotel will be temporarily suspending operations for a period of three weeks beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing spread of COVID-19.
Please visit https://t.co/p9tovdyliC for additional information. pic.twitter.com/z2spe0wGpM
— Greektown Casino (@GreektownCasino) November 17, 2020
In October, Detroit casinos combined for $101.4 million in revenue. Gambling resulted in $7.6 million in tax revenue for the state of Michigan in the month and $11.2 million in revenue for the city of Detroit.
After 139 days without legal gambling in the city of Detroit, at least one local resident was very ready for Wednesday.
Word is the first Michigan resident to get in line for MotorCity Casino and its 10 a.m. opening arrived at 5 a.m. By the opening hour for two city casinos on Wednesday, dozens were lined up.
After nearly five months of closures for Detroit’s casinos, two gambling houses reopened Wednesday to steady crowds, despite an order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to maintain a 15% maximum capacity.
After being closed since March 16, Greektown Casino-Hotel and MotorCity reopened their doors to customers, while MGM Grand Detroit will reopen at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Different feel to Detroit casinos in COVID-19 era
The marquee atop Greektown has had #DETROITSTRONG lit up high in the Motor City sky for months.
On Wednesday, it was changed to “WELCOME BACK WE ARE OPEN!” for the occasion.
No smoking, plexiglass everywhere, and required masks were the biggest noticeable changes at the venues on Wednesday.
The casinos are operating under the guidelines from the Michigan Gaming Control Board this summer and approved by the governor.
Table games were not open yet at Greektown on Wednesday afternoon but were all outfitted with plexiglass to protect the dealer and the maximum of three customers per table from each other. Table games were scheduled to open later on Wednesday.
The casinos have implemented social distancing measures for slot machine play, with banks of three slots featuring only the middle one open at MotorCity. At Greektown, banks of five machines had only two of them working.
15% capacities not yet reached on opening day
MotorCity Casino was nearing its temporary capacity of 1,600 customers early on Wednesday afternoon, but the line outside was still steadily streaming in customers.
Earlier, customers were lined up on Temple Street for the reopening.
At Greektown, there’s only one way in and one way out these days.
The street-level entrances on Monroe and Lafayette streets are closed and customers were lined up at three checkpoints Wednesday, including two before and after the third-floor skywalk over Monroe.
The poker rooms at all of Detroit’s casinos will remain closed temporarily. Valet service is suspended temporarily. None of the casinos have opened their hotels yet.
MGM will have space for about 1,800 patrons with the new capacity restrictions, according to a spokesperson last week.
MGM was reportedly open for VIP guests on Wednesday and also will be on Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Greektown Sportsbook is back; others coming soon
Sports betting opened in Detroit on March 11, five days before the coronavirus shutdown.
Greektown opened its sportsbook as part of its reopening on Wednesday. About 10 people were placing bets in the Kambi system about 15 minutes after the reopening.
The Penn National Gaming casino is still working out of its temporary facility, the old poker room.
However, construction started on the new facility during the hiatus. Permanent walls are up around the future sportsbook, which will be branded as a Barstool Sportsbook and be in the middle of the casino floor.
A Greektown spokesperson did not return messages from PlayMichigan concerning an expected launch date for the new sportsbook.
MotorCity will reopen its FanDuel Sportsbook at 11 a.m. on Friday. Little Caesars Pizza and Pit Stop Deli, both in the food court, are the only dining options for now.
Greektown Casino Detroit
Raise your hand ✋ and retweet if you’re ready to get #BackintheGame! 2 DAYS until we welcome you back at the re-opening of the @FDSportsbook on AUGUST 7 @ 11AM. 🚨 https://t.co/bt7co6rgCmpic.twitter.com/PCGqOv3vr0
— MotorCity Casino (@MotorCityCasino) August 5, 2020
MGM Grand Detroit will reopen its BetMGM Sportsbook on Friday as part of its reopening, though the lounge will not be available. National Coney Island, TAP sports bar, and Axis Lounge will open on Friday.
State, city have lost loads of revenue
During the Detroit shutdown, corporate owners and local governmental units have lost millions.
This week, the American Gaming Association released an updated report on the Michigan gambling industry.
In it, the group estimated that 26 casinos statewide:
- Have $6.3 billion of annual economic impact on the state
- Raise $1.3 billion in state and local taxes each year
- Support $2.1 billion in wages along with nearly 38,000 jobs
The group estimated the shutdown cost state and local governments $114.1 million in revenue. That includes $46.2 million for K-12 education and $67.8 million in revenue for Detroit youth development programs, economic development projects, and other local improvement initiatives.
All but one Michigan tribal casino already opened
Elsewhere, all but one of the state’s 23 tribal casinos have already reopened this summer after closing in March.
A chain of Upper Peninsula casinos made news this week in its efforts to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
On Tuesday, Kewadin Casinos announced an enhanced partnership with Agilysys, Inc., which includes contactless food and beverage ordering at its five UP casinos.
The service, IG OnDemand, expands on the existing relationship between the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians casino group and the vendor.
Motor City Casino Open Or Closed
The only tribal casino unopened is Kings Club Casino in Brimley. However, the Bay Mills Indian Community has opened its sister facility two miles away, Bay Mills Resort & Casino.