Watersmeet Casino Closing
Elsewhere in the Upper Peninsulathe five Kewadin Casinos run by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa remain closed until June 1 st. The same for the Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley. The Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet has re-opened its golf course, but the casino remains closed until further notice. In order to honor our #Veterans all year long, Northern Waters Casino Resort is pleased to announce we have created preferred parking spaces in front of the #casino exclusively for those who have served.
With the COVID-19 news ever evolving, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Detroit’s three casinos are being temporarily shut down by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
However, the state’s nearly two dozen tribal casinos are not all beholden to the board.
Lac Vieux Hotel Watersmeet Casino
Legalized sports betting opened in Detroit last week right around the time most sports leagues shut down because of the national emergency.
The situation is fluid and there are new headlines with every refresh of your Twitter feed. Here’s the latest:
March 21 updates
1 p.m. – All Upper Peninsula casinos closing by early Sunday
As of midnight early Sunday, all 11 Upper Peninsulas will temporarily be closed because of coronavirus concerns.
The five Kewadin locations, two Ojibwa locations, and Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet will be the final casinos to close early Sunday.
An announcement said the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council plans to re-open the Ojibwa locations in Marquette and Baraga on April 12 and that casino and government employees will be compensated during this temporary closure.
Bay Mills Resort and Casino and Kings Club will open at noon on April 10, Northern Waters will close until April 11 and Island Resort Casino in Harris is closed through April 6.
March 18 updates
4 p.m. – MotorCity Casino donating to DDOT
MotorCity Casino announced Wednesday it donated 6,000 sanitizing wipes and 8,000 vinyl gloves to the city of Detroit on Tuesday night for Detroit Department of Transportation drivers to use.
2 p.m. – Gun Lake announces food assistance program
The temporary closure of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland has resulted in one positive for the local community.
The casino announced Wednesday a food assistance program that is a result of the coronavirus closure, which is slated to run through March 30.
Gun Lake donated more than 2.75 tons of food from their coolers to local organizations in West Michigan, including Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan and Hand2Hand.
Team Members transported over 2.75 tons of food between Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan, and Hand2Hand. Our closure resulted in an excess of fresh food that we contributed to combat hunger.
LEARN MORE: https://t.co/f6WU3kNhoZpic.twitter.com/peyoKSkzjp
— Gun Lake Casino (@GunLakeCasino) March 18, 2020
March 17 updates
11 a.m. – Upper Peninsula casions still in operation
The games are still going on at some of the Upper Peninsula casinos, while all Lower Peninsula facilities have been closed.
Gov. Whitmer has no authority over tribal casinos, but many are voluntarily shutting down anyways.
In the U.P., Kings Club and Bay Mills Resort in Brimley have shortened from 24 hours to being open from 8 a.m. until midnight this week. Then, the casinos will close from midnight Friday through April 10.
Table games and beverage stations have been closed at the five Kewadin Casino locations, while bus trips through April 5 will be rescheduled. Shows have been postponed at many of the facilities, including a Candlebox concert on April 18 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The two Ojibwa Casino locations in Baraga and Marquette were open Tuesday, though the Marquette location was scheduled to close from 2:30 a.m. until 7 on Wednesday for cleaning.
At Island Resort & Casino in Harris, bus tours will be halted from Thursday through April 6. Tesla shows on April 24-25 are also postponed.
10:30 a.m. – Report: MGM Grand Detroit will pay its workers
MGM Grand will pay its employees and continue its health care coverage for workers during the coronavirus shutdown, the Detroit Free Press reported.
UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg confirmed with the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that MGM decided late Monday “to pay their workers as the other casinos have in Detroit, while they’re impacted, and continue their healthcare coverage through June.”
3 a.m. – All Lower Peninsula casinos closed as Four Winds shuts down
Four Winds Casino locations in New Boston, Dowagiac and Hartford closed overnight Tuesday, meaning all 14 Lower Peninsula casinos are now closed.
The casino announced on its web site that the closure will continue until March 30 and then re-evaluated. All entertainment through April 4 is being postponed.
March 16 updates
9:40 p.m. – Four Up North casinos closing
A quartet of northern Michigan tribal casinos are closing this week voluntarily.
Turtle Creek in Williamsburg, Leelanau Sands in Peshawbestown and Little River in Manistee closed on Monday, and Petoskey’s Odawa Casino will close Tuesday. All four facilities mentioned March 30 as a potential tentative re-opening date.
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians will voluntarily close the Odawa at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The hotel will remain open.
Notices about the four closures said all employees will be fully compensated during the closings.
3:20 p.m. – Soaring Eagle joins list of closures
At 5 p.m. Monday, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant will be the next Michigan casino to close.
According to the Soaring Eagle website, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe facility will close until further notice, along with the tribe’s Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish.
1:39 p.m. – MGM Grand Detroit moves closure to 3 p.m.
In an email to customers, MGM Grand Detroit moved its Monday closure up two hours to 3 p.m., falling in line with Whitmer’s directive to close at that time.
“As always, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority,” the email read, noting the facility will be closed two weeks and re-evaluated after that.
MGM will be the third and final of the Detroit casinos to close because of the ongoing national emergency.
Watersmeet Casino Closing Michigan
Noon – MotorCity Casino, Greektown closed
MotorCity Casino and Greentown Casino closed at noon, two of Detroit’s three casinos.
But the MotorCity hotel will remain open “offering its luxury accommodations to those who need a respite during these unprecedented times,” according to information on the casino website.
Concerts at MotorCity through April 5 are being rescheduled with a Brian McKnight show set for March 19 already moved to May 24.
MGM Grand Detroit is still set to close at 5 p.m.
Attention! 📣 Brian McKnight, originally scheduled for March 19, has been rescheduled for May 24, 2020 at 8pm. ALL tickets will be valid for the new date. Those unable to attend will receive a full refund through March 20, 2020 from their original point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/tDBTHyxK71
— MotorCity Casino (@MotorCityCasino) March 13, 2020
4 a.m. – Casino Windsor closes overnight
Across the Detroit River from downtown, Caesars Windsor closed the gaming floor at 4 a.m. Monday and hotel guests were told to depart by noon.
The Casino also announced the postponement of four concerts: Ice Cube on March 26, Pitbull on March 29, REO Speedwagon on April 3 and Jason Derulo on April 10.
The health, safety and well-being of our employees and guests are our highest priority. With OLG’s recent announcement, we are working on an orderly shutdown based on the recommendation of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to temporarily close until further notice. pic.twitter.com/4gwOE6JraP
— Caesars Windsor (@CaesarsWindsor) March 15, 2020
3 a.m. – FireKeepers in Battle Creek closes
FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek closed overnight Monday with all scheduled entertainment postponed during the closure.
A performance by Larry the Cable Guy was postponed on Saturday.
12:35 a.m. – Greektown Casino will pay its employees
According to The Detroit News, Greektown Casino will continue to pay its employees their full wages during the shutdown, which will start at noon Monday and continue for at least two weeks.
March 15 updates
11:30 p.m. – MGM Grand to close Monday
MGM Grand Detroit announced it would be closing at 5 p.m. on Monday for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
The closure includes also includes the facility’s restaurants and bars.
In compliance with the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s order, MGM Grand Detroit will temporarily suspend operations by 5:00pm, March 16. It is anticipated that it will remain closed for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
More: https://t.co/Aky1yT5K8Rpic.twitter.com/ihszZMAluk
— MGM Grand Detroit (@MGMGrandDetroit) March 16, 2020
1:53 p.m. – Rep. Tlaib blasts casinos
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) took aim at Michigan casinos for staying open despite the health concerns, posting on Twitter that: “Corporate greed is showing its ugly face during this public health crisis.”
Corporate greed is showing its ugly face during this public health crisis.
Casinos in Detroit staying open even though everything there involves touching machines, cards & being close to others. It’s so disgustingly blantant that they don’t care about people. #PeopleOverProfits
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 15, 2020
March 14 updates
5:08 p.m. – Gun Lake Casino voluntarily closing
Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, a tribal property south of Grand Rapids, announced its voluntarily closing from 3 a.m. Monday until 9 a.m. on March 30.
“While there is no requirement to close, we believe in doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the company said in a statement.
The Island Resort and Casino has re-opened.
The casino, run by the Hannahville Indian Community, welcomed customers back inside Saturday morning after being closed since late-March.
The response was quick, with the parking lot filled with cars as people flocked there after word spread on social media that the casino had re-opened.
The gaming floor looks different than before. No smoking is allowed, and you have to wear a mask while on the gaming floor. Hand sanitizer dispensers have been placed throughout the casino.
Temperature checks are done on the way in, and anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be turned away. There are plexiglass barriers in some areas. There are no table games open for this phase of the re-opening plan. The casino is located on tribal land, and is not subject to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s orders.
Elsewhere in the Upper Peninsula…the five Kewadin Casinos run by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa remain closed until June 1st. The same for the Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley. The Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet has re-opened its golf course, but the casino remains closed until further notice. And the Ojibwa Casinos in Marquette and Baraga also remained closed until further notice.