Detroit casinos will be required to reopen at 15% capacity, without poker and smoking

The 15% capacity restriction was suggested by MGM Grand, MotorCity and Greektown casinos in Detroit.

2020-06-10

Reading time 1:23 min

The guidelines would be in effect once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer green lights MGM Grand, MotorCity and Greektown casinos to resume operations. Other measures include temperature checks at entrances, mandatory masks covering nose and mouth, and 6-foot social distancing guidelines in effect.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board approved Monday reopening guidelines for casinos, which limit the three Detroit casinos to 15% of their maximum occupancy capacity, require visitors to wear face masks, submit to temperature checks, and prohibit them from smoking, playing poker or eating at the buffet.

The new guidelines would be in effect once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has not announced a reopening date for the Detroit casinos, lifts her executive order that closed them on March 16 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some tribal casinos within Michigan have already reopened.

“In compiling these minimum guidelines, we considered CDC recommendations, Nevada Gaming Board guidelines and information from the National Indian Gaming Commission,” gaming board Executive Director Richard Kalm said, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “We required the casinos to propose reopening plans, and we consulted with the casino unions on the guidelines."

The casinos are allowed to reopen with tighter rules than the required minimums, but not looser ones. Other initial reopening guidelines for MGM Grand, MotorCity and Greektown casinos include 6-foot social distancing guidelines in effect, no valet service or coat check. The casinos would be permitted to allow smoking in designated outdoor areas.

The 15% capacity restriction was suggested by the casinos, Kalm said, and would mean roughly 1,400 to 1,500 patrons per property at one time. "If they are at capacity, they will turn people away at the parking lot," he said.

Casino taxes are the City of Detroit's third largest revenue source and their collapse has put a strain on the city's budget. Total gambling revenues for the three casinos was $299 million through May, less than half the revenues for the same five months in 2019, according to the gaming control board. The casinos submitted $35.6 million in wagering taxes and other fees to the city of Detroit, or nearly $38 million less than a year ago.