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Billionaire Ilitch family uses pizza wealth to boost casino bet

Thursday, June 18, 2026 1:29 PM
Photo: Shutterstock
  • David Welch, Bloomberg

Detroit’s billionaire Ilitch family, founders of the Little Caesars pizza chain, plans to make a bigger push into the gaming industry with a new holding company for acquisitions and deals to buy a casino in Mississippi and to take full ownership of another in New Jersey.

Ilitch Gaming has agreements to purchase Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Mississippi and to buy the 50% of Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort that the family didn’t already own. MotorCity Casino in Detroit will also be folded into the gaming company, which will be chaired by Chris Ilitch, son of Little Caesars founders Marian Ilitch and the late Mike Ilitch.