Detroit casinos to partially reopen at 15 percent capacity after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order?
Detroit Casinos, MotorCity?and?Greektown have announced their intentions to reopen next Wednesday, Aug 5 and?MGM Grand Detroit announced it will reopen on Friday, Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. ?All three casinos have been temporarily closed since the start of the pandemic in March 16.?
The State’s restrictions will be one of the most stringent?occupancy threshold?issued for a commercial casino?and?all three properties have been prepping for such measures?under?Whitmer’s?guidelines?during their state-ordered shut-downs.?
Whitmer’s?guidelines include, along with the 15 percent occupancy ceiling, venues needing to require?daily entry screening protocols,?temperature screening, face coverings for?employees and?customers,?slot machines?reconfigured to promote social distancing, table games equipped with?plexiglass?dividers, availability of?hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes?and heightened cleaning protocols. In addition, smoking is banned on casino floors poker rooms are banned.
Whitmer?wrote in her order,?“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,”?
Tribal gaming venues do not have to adhere to state orders, as they operate on sovereign territories, unlike commercial casinos.?Michigan casinos owned and operated by Native Americans?have resumed operations on May.?
Alex?Calderone,?a gaming industry analyst?from?Calderone?Advisory Group, told the?Detroit Free Press,?“Michigan has imposed the most onerous capacity limitations of any gaming jurisdiction I am aware of.”?
Calderone?added,?“Given that operating expenses have been slashed so drastically, it is possible they will be able to operate profitably, even at lower revenue levels driven by the 15 percent capacity restriction.”?
The?city’s casino revenues plummeted?by more than 50% due to the COVID-19 shutdown, with?the?year-to-date revenue reported last year of $617.9 million,?only $299.2 million was brought this year by?the?three Detroit casinos. No?revenue?was produced?by the properties?in May?and?June?due to?the closure of operations.?
SiGMA LatAm:
Following the successful launch of SiGMA Europe (Malta) and SiGMA Asia (Manila), we’re now launching the inaugural SiGMA LATAM, covering all three major timezones. The inaugural edition is set for September 22-24, 2020 with a virtual summit focusing on two themes: SiGMA LATAM for the Gaming industry and AIBC LATAM for the Emerging Tech industry.
