8 new casinos proposed: Long shot or good bet for Michigan?

[Johnnny5]

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Don't get me wrong, three casinos is enough, but in a city starved of jobs, these are thousands of reasonably well paying jobs that require a varying levels of skill. Most of them are union. My neighbor accross the street earns a good, full time living working at the casino. He's a great guy. He also happens to be young and black. I'm not sure what he'd be doing otherwise, but in my opinion more localized employment that pays a decent wage without requiring a doctorate would solve a LOT of social ills.

The shrinking number of employment opportunities the casinos provide is another issue. Anyone who has frequented the Detroit casinos over the past decade has seen the incredible push to automation and self service. All three Detroit casinos have eliminated the use of tokens and went to paper receipts for slot play [[That alone eliminated 100's of jobs for those who provided change and filled/emptied the machines). They have also greatly reduced the percentage of floor space devoted to manned table games and have replaced them with more slots and even automated some games that previously required human dealers. Last time I went to Motor City I was also shocked to see they had replaced some of the waitresses that supplied non alcoholic beverages with pop dispensers. More casinos would probably just speed up this process as they would have to keep costs low in order to compete.

[canuck]

Her "design" involvement reminds me of how it was in the 1920s for the Fox Theatre Chain. William Fox's wife Eve Leo Fox was also interested in the fashions of her husbands movie palaces. She traveled the world looking for just the right stuff for his exotic palaces, and C. Howard Crane's 3 Fox Theatre's [[Detroit, St. Louis and Brooklyn [[razed)) were filled with some of her finds and artistic flair. Those Camelback chairs at the top of the Grand Staircase were one of her middle eastern finds. When Thomas Lamb was designing the San Francisco Fox [[razed), he avoided Eve Leo Fox at all cost, and filled his palatial theatre with more tastelful furnishings and bric-a-brac.

Interesting parallel Gistok, the funny thing is; I would welcome the kind of mish mash of styles that mrs Fox would bring to the mix, it seems. There was a time when people travelled via the movies. Those grand old palaces were dismantled when Hollywood meant TV production as much as movies. People no longer needed the whole experience of theatre going, and a trip to Tunisia was no longer a far fetched proposition, I guess.

[Detroitdave]

I say no to all but two of the casinos. the one at the Golf course yes, and the one at the Pontch yes, The one by the Pontch would be great for that location.
I can't see one by the Rencen,not needed by the riverwalk. Keep the river front open for the people of Detroit , we don't need a walled of Casino, We've already dealt with that mess with the original RenCen.
Like everyone else seems to say it's a long shot. And the suburbs don't need or want them . So keep them in Detroit, also I'm NOT sold on the "principles" for the Detroit backers. They have NO HISTORY in the industry, they are just looking for a payday, which is fine, but they should NO WAY be principles maybe backers, that is a recipe for disaster letting these guys try their hand at the casino game . Keep to burying folks ! LOL

[mikeg19]

One other draw for casinos is the comps... whoever offers the best comps, gets a lot of business. I have several neighbors who still take a bus up to Mt. Pleasant, because they feel the comps are better there than here in Detroit. It's not as simple as the closest location will get the business...

Bingo. I'm not gonna try to compare the comps here to Vegas because in Vegas, they're handing you free drinks 10 minutes after you sit down. I've never been comped anything at Detroit's casinos. Soaring Eagle, I've gotten free drinks and rooms and really haven't had to spend a ton of cash to get them. Detroit's casinos are about maximizing their profits in any way possible. If I'm gonna blow $200 on poker, I think a couple comp drinks ain't too much to ask.

[Johnnny5]

I'm not positive of this, but I believe it is illegal to give away alcoholic beverages in Michigan [[The native American casinos may be exempt as they are on the smoking laws). I lived in Florida for a while and buy one get one free drink specials are very popular in the bars there, but I've never seen that here.

[Wesley Mouch]

I'm not positive of this, but I believe it is illegal to give away alcoholic beverages in Michigan [[The native American casinos may be exempt as they are on the smoking laws). I lived in Florida for a while and buy one get one free drink specials are very popular in the bars there, but I've never seen that here.

I don't know if there's a special casino exemption, but in Michigan, it is illegal to sell liquor below cost, or give it away in a place with a liquor license.

For the same reason, buy one-get one free specials are illegal. That would mean one drink was full price, and one was free. No free drinks! However, you can give a 50% discount on two drinks, however -- provided that the retail cost of each drink exceeds its wholesale price.

[poobert]

I don't know if there's a special casino exemption, but in Michigan, it is illegal to sell liquor below cost, or give it away in a place with a liquor license.

For the same reason, buy one-get one free specials are illegal. That would mean one drink was full price, and one was free. No free drinks! However, you can give a 50% discount on two drinks, however -- provided that the retail cost of each drink exceeds its wholesale price.

Is there any rational reason we don't repeal this? Other than our legislatures have too many Western Michigan evangelicals?

[Johnnny5]

Is there any rational reason we don't repeal this? Other than our legislatures have too many Western Michigan evangelicals?

I actually agree with the law, and for a couple of reasons. Mainly drinks 4,6, 8 and 10! I remember having to walk home a few times in Florida due to the buy one get on free specials. Even when you know you have had enough it's tough to leave a free drink sitting on the bar...

[Gistok]

Correct... no free drinks are allowed at the 3 Detroit Casinos... State Gaming Commission and/or the State Liquor Control Commission see to that. Comps at the 3 Detroit casinos are usually for meals, entertainment and rooms.

[Jimaz]

Correct... no free drinks are allowed at the 3 Detroit Casinos....

True. Also at Soaring Eagle, IIRC. Soaring Eagle's wine tastes synthetic. Nice resort otherwise. Their dealers know what they're doing.

Drinks are free in Vegas casinos but you should still tip your waitress.

[EastsideAl]

Is there any rational reason we don't repeal this? Other than our legislatures have too many Western Michigan evangelicals?

It wasn't evangelicals who got rid of 2 for 1s in Michigan, it was the traffic safety folks and the cops.

It also isn't evangelicals who keep Michigan's minimum price and restricted distribution liquor laws in place, its the favored and protected liquor distributors.

[southen]

looks like you might be able to remove the pontch as a potential spot for a new casino...

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...xt%7CFRONTPAGE

[Scottathew]

Why not just go pure free-market on this issue and stop favoring the politically connected? Any damn body who wants to open a casino can do it, anywhere they can, subject to local zoning [[that is to say, not in the middle of a residential subdivision).

Then tax the bejeesus out of it and let the capitalist competition begin!

Really, unless you own a casino, who the hell cares how many there are? Why is a casino any worse [[or better) for a neighborhood than a tavern or a party store?

I agree. However, I think it could have negative side effects for Detroit. But sometimes the right thing isn't always good for Detroit.

[GUSHI]

Either put 2 new casino either by motor city or MGM, have a strip, have people mover/tram stations connecting them, put bars and restaurants by them, maybe a horse track like hazel tucky, built it up, bring tourist, employee people, make it a destination, bring revenue to the city, also include light rail that connect w greektown, the stadiums, the further hockey arena, have officers patrolling the area, have a stop at the Masonic temple, COBO hall, etc etc etc, hart plaza