Detroit Casinos Indicate Poker Rooms May Reopen in Near Future

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 09/28/2020

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Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.

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Detroit Casinos Indicate Poker Rooms

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this year, businesses including casinos have faced chaos in the United States. For several months, casinos were forced to close altogether, which meant huge financial losses for the operators and for the states affected.

Over the past couple of months, casinos have been reopening in stages, and while many are now back up and running, it is with restrictions in place. This includes keeping certain facilities closed, such as buffets and entertainment, and in some casinos, poker rooms have also remained shut. This is due to concerns about the ability to practice social distancing at poker tables.

Two casinos in Detroit have recently indicated that they might be reopening their poker rooms in the very near future. However, it appears that the two downtown casinos have been making plans for reopening without first approaching the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

Poker Room Plans Must be Approved

Last week an email was sent out to customers by the MotorCity Casino, which claimed that its poker room was ready to open this week. Penn Gaming, which runs Greektown Casino, also said that it was hoping to open its poker room over the coming weeks.

However, according to reports, the plans have not been submitted to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, and this must be done because all poker room reopening plans have to be approved by the board. Mary Kay Bean from the MGCB said that the board planned to review poker gaming when casinos started to express an interest in restarting poker rooms. She said:

The casinos must follow (Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s) workplace safety executive order. And the MGCB must approve the casinos’ plans on how social distancing and other health and safety requirements will be met. It is the same approach used prior to the reopening of the casinos.

While two of the three casinos in the area already appear to be making their own plans for opening poker rooms, the third – MGM Grand Detroit – has no plans to do this in the near future.

Huge Job Losses at Detroit Casinos

The Detroit casinos are doing all they can to try and make up for financial losses stemming from the COVID-19 closures. However, this is proving to be extremely difficult, particularly given the fact that casinos have had to reopen with strict new measures and reduced capacity in place.

Figures show that more than 1,000 people have lost their jobs due to casino closures and restrictions. Both the casinos themselves and the state have also suffered the financial consequences of the issues faced over the course of this year.

In some areas, including Las Vegas, casino properties have already opened poker rooms. Many casinos are now offering short-handed poker games, such as five or six-handed, rather than the standard nine.

While the casinos in Detroit might be hoping to claw back some revenue by bringing back poker rooms at their properties, they will first need to ensure their plans receive official approval from the gaming board.