The MGM Grand Detroit Casino Resort in
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
is one of three
casinoA casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions...
s in the city, and one of four in the Detroit-Windsor area. The resort opened on October 3,2007 with a grand event which included models and celebrities including
AshantiAshanti, or Asante, are a major ethnic group of Ashanti Region in Ghana.They are part of the larger Akan Ethnic group. The Ashanti speak Twi, an Akan language similar to Fante.For the Ashanti Empire see Asanteman....
,
Kid RockRobert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...
, male model Cameron Gonzalez, photographer Alex Martinez, Tiffany Braco, Detroit socialites, and fireworks. This is the first luxury casino resort in a major metropolis outside of Las Vegas and the first in downtown Detroit.
The MGM Grand Detroit Casino Resort in
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
is one of three
casinoA casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions...
s in the city, and one of four in the Detroit-Windsor area. The resort opened on October 3,2007 with a grand event which included models and celebrities including
AshantiAshanti, or Asante, are a major ethnic group of Ashanti Region in Ghana.They are part of the larger Akan Ethnic group. The Ashanti speak Twi, an Akan language similar to Fante.For the Ashanti Empire see Asanteman....
,
Kid RockRobert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...
, male model Cameron Gonzalez, photographer Alex Martinez, Tiffany Braco, Detroit socialites, and fireworks. This is the first luxury casino resort in a major metropolis outside of Las Vegas and the first in downtown Detroit. Detroit is the largest American city and metropolitan region to offer casino resorts.
History
In November 1996,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
voters approved Proposal E, which authorized three casinos to be built and operated in the City of
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
.
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
based MGM MIRAGE and Partners Detroit, LLC, a group made up of local Detroit Businessmen, were chosen to build the first new casino. The MGM Grand Detroit Casino officially opened on July 29, 1999 to much fanfare.
In 2005 the MGM Grand Detroit Casino was the subject of a possible sale when parent company MGM MIRAGE announced that it was acquiring rival casino company
Mandalay Resort GroupMandalay Resort Group was a hotel-casino operator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its major properties included Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus, as well as half of the Monte Carlo. In terms of market capitalization, it was one of the largest casino operators in the world. It was...
, owners of the
MotorCity CasinoMotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan is one of three casino resorts in the city, and one of four in the Detroit-Windsor area. The $825 million complex incorporates the historic Wagner Baking Company building circa 1915...
. Due to Michigan state gaming laws prohibiting casino owners from acquiring or owning more than one casino in the state, MGM Mirage was forced to sell either the MGM Grand Detroit or the MotorCity casino. MGM MIRAGE had several serious buyers for the MGM Grand Detroit, but ultimately sold the MotorCity Casino to
Marian IlitchMarian Ilitch was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, the daughter of Macedonian immigrants. She met her future husband Mike Ilitch in 1954 when the two went on a blind date arranged by his father. A year later, they were married. They have seven children...
On December 13, 2005 the Michigan Gaming Control Board approved MGM Grand's plans for a permanent casino with of casino space, 401 hotel rooms and an eight story self-parking garage to be located on John C. Lodge Freeway and Bagley Street, three to four blocks from the temporary casino. The facility has of meeting space for conferences and live performance seating for 1,200. The Casino is also rebuilding 3rd street into a two way boulevard to facilitate traffic movement around the site.
The permanent casino opened its doors to the public on October 3, 2007. The grand opening celebration attracted Hollywood stars. A Celebrity Poker Match was taped there for a televised release at a later date.
Designers on the project include the joint venture of Hamilton Anderson Associates and the SmithGroup, both of Detroit, Cleo Design of Las Vegas, Carol Harris of Detroit, Lawrence Lee of California, Toni Chi of New York, and Super Potato out of Japan. The lead architects were Paul Tonti of the SmithGroup and Thomas Sherry of Hamilton Anderson Associates. In 2007, DTE Energy announced a major transformation of the area around its downtown headquarters into an urban oasis with parks, walkways, and a reflecting pool adjacent to the MGM Grand Detroit.
The metropolitan region's potential to attract super-sized crowds should not be underestimated. Just across the river, Caesars Windsor attracts about six million visitors annually. More than fifteen million people cross the
Ambassador BridgeThe Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. The bridge is owned by the Detroit International Bridge Co., which is controlled by Grosse Pointe billionaire Manuel "Matty" Moroun. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel also...
and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel annually. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300 mile (480 km) radius of
Metro DetroitThe Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit. As the home of the "Big Three" American automakers , it is the world's traditional automotive center and a key pillar of the U.S...
. Since 2000, the city has seen continuous annual increases in tax revenues from its casinos; the city estimates it will collect $178,250,000 in casino taxes alone for 2007, with the casino resorts open in 2008.
In
MarchMarch is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and one of the seven months which are 31 days long.March in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Northern Hemisphere....
2009 it was announced that MGM Grand's former temporary casino was being sold and would be converted into an $86 million Hollywood-style digital animation and visual effects studio directly employing more than 400 people.
Possible sale (2009)
Starting on April 6, 2009 news reports began to surface that MGM Grand Detroit's parent company
MGM MirageMGM Mirage is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based business engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels and casinos throughout the world. The company began operations on May 31, 2000 after the completion of a merger of MGM Grand Inc. and Mirage Resorts, Inc. It is currently the second...
hired investment firm
Morgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services provider headquartered in New York City, New York, United States. It serves a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 33 countries around the world with 600 offices, with...
to assist the company in finding possible buyers for the
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
property and its sister the Beau Rivage in
Biloxi, MississippiBiloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2000 census recorded the population as 50,644, although the 2008 Census Estimate placed the population at 45,670...
. The MGM Grand Detroit and Beau Rivage are considered to be MGM Mirage's top performing properties and if sold could fetch a total of $1-$2 billion dollars which then would be used to lower MGM Mirage's debt load.
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