{"id":155397,"date":"2020-11-15T21:07:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T05:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=155397"},"modified":"2020-11-16T10:39:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T18:39:45","slug":"michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan to Shut Down Detroit Casinos for At Least Three Weeks as COVID-19 Cases Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Casinos in Detroit will be going on a three-week shutdown starting on Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"Michigan
The craps tables and other games at Detroit’s three casinos will go dark for three weeks starting Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday. The move is an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 across the state. (Image: MGMGrandDetroit.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The casino closure is part of an enhanced effort to control the spread of COVID-19, which, as it has across the country, has increased rapidly in Michigan. Through Saturday, the state has reported 251,813 cases. More than 98,000 of those cases stem from Oct. 15. Of the 7,993 deaths reported because of the virus, 959 have happened in the past month.<\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t act now, thousands more will die, and our hospitals will continue to be overwhelmed,\u201d Whitmer said. \u201cWe can get through this together by listening to health experts once again and taking action right now to slow the spread of this deadly virus.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services goes after what it calls \u201cindoor social gatherings,\u201d which it claims is a leading cause of the spread. However, the state will not limit all indoor activities. Entertainment and recreational facilities, like theaters, bowling alleys, and night clubs must close, but restaurants can continue to allow outdoor dining. Retail outlets, libraries, and museums can remain open as long as they do not exceed 30 percent capacity.<\/p>\n

While arenas and stadiums will be closed to fans, professional and college sports will be allowed to continue as long as they meet \u201cextraordinary standards\u201d for reducing risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndoor gatherings are the greatest source of spread, and sharply limiting them is our focus,\u201d <\/strong>said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. \u201cThe order is targeted and temporary. But a terrible loss of life will be forever unless we act.<\/strong> By coming together today, we can save thousands of lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can Detroit Casinos Avoid Layoffs?<\/h2>\n

Michigan\u2019s order to close casinos is the first by any state since governments closed them in rapid succession back in March. Since casinos reopened, some have closed on their own for brief periods because of COVID-19 cases. But states like New York<\/a> and Illinois have reduced casinos hours of operation as cases have spiked there.<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s casinos were among the last commercial gaming establishments to reopen, doing so on Aug. 5. When they did, they were limited to just 15 percent capacity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

It remains to be seen just how the city\u2019s casinos will react to the closure. It’s an open question on whether they will maintain their active workers on the payroll, or if they will seek to furlough them. Sunday’s order is good through Dec. 8, though state officials may choose to extend or revise the order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A spokesperson for MGM Resorts International, which operates the MGM Grand Detroit, told Casino.org<\/em> Sunday night the company had no comment or information yet.<\/p>\n

The state also has 24 tribal casinos as well. Those properties are not subject to the MDHHS order, so it\u2019s uncertain if they\u2019ll follow suit. The tribal venues did eventually close in March to help control the spread of the virus. However, they also opted to reopen in the spring rather than wait until August.<\/p>\n

Michigan Online Gaming Not Ready Yet<\/h2>\n

One thing that could help mitigate the impact of lost income would be iGaming and mobile sports betting. When Michigan legalized sports betting last year, it allowed for casinos to offer mobile sports betting and iGaming. However, regulations for both are currently going through the state\u2019s vetting process.<\/p>\n

There once was hope mobile sports betting and iGaming could launch in Michigan by year\u2019s end. However, it\u2019s looking more likely the apps will become available some time after the first of the new year.<\/p>\n

Still, some providers are trying to get a head start. FanDuel has offered Michigan bettors who register in advance $100 in free bets, including $50 each for mobile sports betting and iGaming. DraftKings is offering bettors $200 in free bets, split similarly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Casinos in Detroit will be going on a three-week shutdown starting on Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday. The casino closure is part of an enhanced effort to control the spread of COVID-19, which, as it has across the country, has increased rapidly in Michigan. Through Saturday, the state has reported 251,813 cases. More […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":155396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan to Shut Down Detroit Casinos for At Least Three Weeks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The move to close the three Detroit casinos, effective Wednesday, comes as Michigan is seeing COVID-19 caseloads spike dramatically.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan to Shut Down Detroit Casinos for At Least Three Weeks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The move to close the three Detroit casinos, effective Wednesday, comes as Michigan is seeing COVID-19 caseloads spike dramatically.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-16T05:07:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-16T18:39:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mgm-grand-detroit-casino-table-games-craps-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/\",\"name\":\"Michigan to Shut Down Detroit Casinos for At Least Three Weeks\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mgm-grand-detroit-casino-table-games-craps-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-16T05:07:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-16T18:39:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"The move to close the three Detroit casinos, effective Wednesday, comes as Michigan is seeing COVID-19 caseloads spike dramatically.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/michigan-to-shut-down-detroit-casinos-for-at-least-three-weeks\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mgm-grand-detroit-casino-table-games-craps-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mgm-grand-detroit-casino-table-games-craps-scaled.jpg\",\"caption\":\"The craps tables and other games at Detroit's three casinos will go dark for three weeks starting Wednesday, Michigan Gov. 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