Photo Credit: Olga Gamburg
Two decades after Michigan voters approved the introduction of casino gaming, the industry is delivering big for the City of Detroit. From providing good jobs to delivering unmatched tax revenue and valued partnerships, AGA’s latest Get to Know Gaming event highlighted these benefits to community leaders, policymakers and media, demonstrating once again how gaming is a strong community partner.
AGA united the industry in Detroit, convening all three casinos – MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino-Hotel and Greektown Casino-Hotel – in a round-table discussion that also included Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones.
Building champions of gaming is essential as we drive policies that create a more efficient regulatory environment that encourages innovation and reinvestment.
Congresswoman Lawrence addresses the audience
Rep. Lawrence spoke of her appreciation for the industry’s dedication to skilled workers and its philanthropic efforts in the city, while Councilwoman Jones spoke of how casino revenues helped the city emerge from bankruptcy. Today, the three casinos in Detroit are responsible for 16 percent of the city’s revenue.
Further, the casinos spoke of their commitment to hiring Detroit residents and vendors.
“We work very hard to get out in to the community, find those Detroit-based businesses to do business with MotorCity Casino,” said Bruce Dall, chief financial officer of MotorCity Casino-Hotel.
MGM Grand Detroit’s President and Chief Operating Officer Steven Zanella echoes this sentiment: “We promised to employ at least 50 percent of our team members from the city of Detroit, and we’ve kept that promise ever since we’ve opened up.”
From L to R: Jason Gregorec (Greektown Casino-Hotel), Bruce Dall (MotorCity Casino-Hotel) and Steven Zanella (MGM Grand Detroit)
Jason Gregorec, general manager and CEO of Greektown Casino-Hotel, knows firsthand about the opportunities gaming can bring. “To me, this industry means opportunity…I started in this industry as a bartender…and then I moved up. I came here to make a difference.”
However, no industry can rest on its laurels, and policymakers, regulators and the industry must collaborate to position gaming to thrive for many years to come. Whether it’s reinvesting in properties and bringing new experiences to customers or streamlining mind-bogglingly inefficient regulations, such as in the non-gaming vendor licensing process, no one can sit back and expect to sustain the status quo.
The gaming industry is proud to play a significant role in the re-emergence of the city of Detroit. Through this event and similar ones in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Denver and Council Bluffs, Iowa, AGA is shining a spotlight on gaming’s role as a community partner, educating members of Congress and state and local officials and driving a positive narrative about the role of the industry across 40 states.
We look forward to working with you in this effort in the coming weeks and months.
