Detroit's Gamble

The City of Detroit has found a profit center in casinos.

1 minute read

March 28, 2002, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Detroit's casinos will give the city of Detroit $100 million to wipe out its deficit as part of a new deal with the gaming companies to be announced this week, the Detroit Free Press reported. Meanwhile, a federal judge has given the city until April 10 to file papers explaining why they have continued to allow three casinos to operate in the city after a Federal Court of Appeals held that the casinos are operating with illegal licenses. That ruling stems from a five-year battle waged by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake SuperiorChippewa Indians. The tribe has argued that the city's casino licensing process was not open and fair. Meanwhile, the Free Press story says that under the new deal with the three casinos, the city of Detroit will let them "reduce the number of hotel rooms they will build and will eliminate a requirement that they contribute more than $60 million over several years toward minority business development loans." The $100-million payment will be in addition to allowing the city to keep $150 million the casinos put forth to assemble riverfront land they will now not be able to use for permanent casinos, the paper reported.

Thanks to Dateline APA

Tuesday, March 26, 2002 in The Detroit Free Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

June 17, 2025 - WRIC

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Ground crew person signaling to airplane with red batons on runway on a rainy day.

Judge Halts Trump Order Tying State Transportation Grants to Immigration Actions

Ruling applies to Colorado, which was among 20 plaintiff states.

45 minutes ago - Colorado Newsline

Crowded stairwell in New York City subway station.

New York MTA to Reimagine Subway Bottleneck

Changes proposed in a recently approved five-year plan would resolve a nearly century-old snarl that routinely delays trains.

1 hour ago - Gothamist

Close-up of yellow and black goldspotted oak borer beetle on blade of grass.

Southern Californians Survey Trees for Destructive Oak Pest

Hundreds of volunteers across five counties participated in the first Goldspotted Oak Borer Blitz, surveying oak trees for signs of the invasive beetle and contributing valuable data to help protect Southern California’s native woodlands.

June 22 - UC ANR Green Blog