A piece of official information from the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported that MGM Grand Detroit Casino from MGM Resorts International has seen a revenue collapse. The 400-room casino saw its revenue between January to June 2020 decline by 40% year-on-year to $126.5 million. This happened after the casino was closed down temporarily in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The situation was worse for MotorCity Casino Hotel and Greektown Casino Hotel that saw revenues for the first half plummeting by 41% to $102.6 million and $70.1 million each. The first half aggregated gross revenue for the three casinos has been reported to be 59.3% lower year-on-year at $299.2 million.
According to The Detroit News daily, this coronavirus-triggered revenue drop in casino gaming has also negatively impacted the earnings of the state and city from taxes. The earning from the aforementioned three casinos for the past six months is $35.6 million against an $87.5 million paid last year for the same period.
The three casinos are currently waiting for approval from the Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to resume operations. However, the Michigander leader has extended the lockdown by another four weeks, which means the casino operators will remain stalled until 12th August 2020.
The Detroit News also reposted that once the casino trio reopens, they would need to follow new regulations regarding public safety and social distancing protocols devised by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
The latest norms include a capacity restriction of max 15% and a complete ban on live poker as well as smoking. Temperature checks would be mandatory and stringent rules will be imposed regarding cleaning and restaurant operations.
It is to be noted that although the three casino giants are still closed, 23 tribal Michigan casinos have been exempted from the lockdown order passed by Whitmer. These gambling establishments have already emerged from their pandemic-induced hibernation in May. One such establishment is the FireKeepers Casino Hotel located near the city of Battle Creek.
The Chief Executive Officer of the establishment, Kathy George has defended the action by saying it is critical to the existence of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, a federally-recognized tribe in the United States and the owner of the casino.
According to George, it is “an essential business for the survival of the tribe.” She added that the operators would follow all guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.