Amended Safe Start Order gives green light
Michigan’s three commercial casinos will begin reopening on August 5, following an amended order from the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the state capital, Lansing.
under lock and key for over four months”
Executive Order 2020-160 rescinded a number of orders, including those that kept the state’s Detroit-based commercial casinos under lock and key for over four months in the wake of COVID-19.
MotorCity Casino Hotel and Greektown Casino-Hotel, two of Michigan’s three commercial casinos, are expected to open Wednesday. MGM Grand Detroit tweeted that it would reopen on August 7:
All casino properties, which will be required to limit capacity to 15%, were initially ordered to shut down on March 16 following the coronavirus outbreak.
Tribes have massive head start
Michigan’s 24 tribal casinos have enjoyed a competitive advantage over Detroit’s three commercial casinos for months. Tribal government has sovereign control over its territories, which allowed the majority of tribal casinos to reopen as early as late May, early June.
24 tribal casinos have enjoyed a competitive advantage”
Michigan’s safety-first approach has drawn fire from some quarters. Alex Calderone, managing director of the financial consulting firm Calderone Advisory Group, told Detroit Free Press: “Michigan has imposed the most onerous capacity limitations of any gaming jurisdiction I am aware of.” Michigan’s Gaming Control Board (MGCB) issued strict reopening requirements for Detroit’s commercial gambling properties last month.
Other conditions apply
In order to reopen, Detroit’s casino trio must adhere to additional regulations aside from the 15% capacity. Entry screening protocols for guests and staff must be carried out daily, along with temperature screening and the wearing of face coverings, “except while eating or drinking or for identification purposes”.
indoor gatherings in the Great Lake State must be limited to ten people
The MGCB includes its own exhaustive list of operating rules for Detroit casinos, including the regular disinfection of high-touch objects such as ATMs, elevator interfaces, counters, door handles, restrooms, light switches, dining tables, chairs, and table rails.
The Amended Safe Start Order also rules that indoor gatherings in the Great Lake State must be limited to ten people, effective July 31. Bars must remain closed for indoor service.