Permanent Greektown Casino Construction Begins

Construction began today on the permanent Greektown Casino resort, with completion of the new 3,100-space parking garage scheduled for mid 2007 and the new 400-room hotel and gaming floor expansion by mid 2008.

City of Detroit leaders joined with Greektown Casino owners and managers at a "Building Bashing" ceremony to mark the start of construction. They watched as heavy construction equipment began demolishing the aging parking garage and apartment building that currently occupy the land at Monroe and I-375 where the new casino garage and hotel are being built.

In addition to the new hotel and parking garage, the permanent Greektown Casino complex will include a 25,000-square-foot gaming floor expansion (increasing the gaming floor to 100,000 square feet), a 1,500-seat entertainment theater, meeting and convention room space, a spa and additional restaurants. The hotel and garage will connect to the casino via moving and elevated walkways.

The total project budget is $475 million, which includes $275 million already invested in the current Greektown Casino and $200 million for the new hotel, parking garage and gaming floor expansion.

"With this groundbreaking, we celebrate more jobs and revenues for Detroit and our state, the start of a magnificent new resort destination in the heart of Detroit, and additional resources to support programs and services for members of the Sault Tribe," said Aaron Payment, chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, owners of Greektown Casino.

The permanent casino-resort will be located in Greektown, downtown Detroit's most popular entertainment district. The casino resort is within easy walking distance from Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.

"This is a significant day for the City of Detroit and an historic moment for Greektown Casino," said Marvin Beatty, a local Greektown Casino investor. "The permanent Greektown Casino resort will be a world-class destination that will attract more visitors to Detroit and the Greektown District, create more jobs, and generate more revenues for the city and for public schools across Michigan."

Located at 555 E. Lafayette Avenue, Greektown Casino features nearly 2,400 slot machines and 92 table games in 75,000 square feet of luxurious Mediterranean-themed gaming space.

Greektown Casino continues to set the gaming standard in Michigan and remains the industry's leader in implementing technology to improve guest service. Greektown is home to the city's first and largest live poker room, and was the first Detroit casino to implement coinless slot machines and Ticket-in, Ticket-out redemption stations -- keeping the casino on the cutting edge of gaming entertainment and customer service technologies.

Greektown Casino opened on Nov. 10, 2000. For five consecutive years, readers of The Detroit News voted Greektown Casino Michigan's "Best Casino." Detroit Free Press readers have also consistently named Greektown as the city's "Best Casino."

In addition to being named "Best Casino," Greektown Casino also placed first in other categories in The News' reader survey, including "Best Slots," "Best Wait Staff Outfits," "Best Craps Tables," "Best Blackjack Tables," "Best High Rollers Area," "Best Casino Restau

2006-06-12