Detroit’s MotorCity and MGM Grand became the gambler’s hub bringing $430 million last year, with $320 million yielded from hauling behind Greektown. These casinos sliced about 24 percent of their proceeds to the city state that funneled the money to schools and other social programs. All in all, the state has reaped $116 million in gambling taxes last year.
Though businesses were quite reluctant to locate their premises next to the temporary casinos bereft of rounding up hotels, Detroit casinos managed to draw 80 to 90 percent of customers from the metro area. Without hotels, however, it’s rather difficult for casinos to become the ultimate tourist destination. Since Detroit casinos commenced their operations, Las Vegas style casino Windsor with 389 hotel rooms and 60 foot waterfall has had a serious drop in revenues to $400 million. Yet, it still attracts about 80 percent of its customers from outside Canada.
Small businesses complain that casinos are thwarting their profits by taking dollars that used to go restaurants and bars. Some are worried that gambling is simply a tax on the poor with quite a few destitute families below the poverty line. Statistics on gambling related crimes in Detroit is inconsistent, so, only the time will tell what is its real donation to the city.
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| Source: Gamblingsmart news Staff
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Friday, 15 April 2005 |
Thursday, February 9 2012 
