MotorCity aims to be casino classic
One of the first rules of casino design, experts say, is that the gambling halls must look like places where games of chance are played.
The new MotorCity Casino won't break that rule.
Right now, the 400-room hotel and 100,000 square feet of gambling space are just steel girders and concrete pillars, but over the weekend, the casino's owner offered the first glimpse of what the facility will look like.
The temporary Detroit casino has operated since 1999 in historic brick-and-stone buildings once home to the Wonder Bread bakery. The permanent one being built couldn't look more different.
All sleek lines and gleaming steel, the new MotorCity Casino will rise 17 stories on the western edge of downtown near Grand River and the Lodge, in a lot adjacent to the existing casino. The hotel and casino are scheduled to open by the end of 2007.
Chip Foose, a world-famous muscle car and hot rod designer and host of the Learning Channel's popular "Overhaulin' " show, has signed on as a design consultant.
The existing casino has automotive touches inside the building, but the new hotel and casino appear to be tomorrow's take on Detroit's automotive history.
A low-slung outside corridor brings forth images of a '50s roadside diner. A curving roofline reflects the shape of classic fenders. [ read full article ]
GRAND ONCE AGAIN Casino reopens at 9 tonight
BILOXI -- The long hallways, purple-patterned carpet and pot-of-gold logos are gone.
The new Grand Casino Biloxi offers direct access to its gambling floor from the third level of its parking garage. The decor is rich and warm with cherry woods and amber hues. There's a modernist feel to the whole place, especially L.B.'s Steakhouse, where stone-clad walls and other design elements are reminiscent of a Frank Lloyd Wright creation.
"We did not want to be a facility that looked like it was rushed or put into place just to begin operations," said Anthony Sanfilippo, president of the central division for Harrah's Entertainment, the casino's parent company.
The casino reopens to the public at 9 tonight. It has more than 800 slot machines and 28 table games. The high-limits area has 75 slot machines and three blackjack tables where the bets start at $25 a hand. Karen Sock, the casino's general manager, said the 1,500 employees are ready for whatever the night brings.
The hotel has more than 500 rooms with plasma televisions, a 16,000-square-foot spa and three restaurants. The Grand Buffet will serve food from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekends. Its Asian cafe will be open 24 hours and provide take-out orders.
The menu at L.B.'s Steakhouse has favorites from before, along with new offerings like Gulf shrimp with stone-ground grits. And a 24-hour Starbucks will offer a full menu associated with the cafe.
Although this casino resort is smaller than either of the Grands that operated in Biloxi or Gulfport before Hurricane Katrina, Sanfilippo said Harrah's has no plans to demolish it for anything bigger as the company expands its presence here. Harrah's is buying the Casino Magic Biloxi property and hopes to purchase other parcels adjacent to and near its casino. [ read full article ]
Casinos denied stay on tax data County can go on with plan for levy
Horry County can move ahead with a plan to tax the state's only two casino boats after a state administrative law judge denied a request for a stay Thursday.
It was the second legal loss in a month for SunCruz Casinos, which operates a gambling boat in Little River.
The company was ordered in July to file monthly reports with the state Department of Revenue showing winnings from each game table and gambling machine on its boat.
SunCruz asked Chief Administrative Law Judge Marvin Kittrell to suspend the ruling while it appealed. That motion was denied Thursday.
Sun Cruz officials couldn't be reached for comment late Thursday.
The reports to the Department of Revenue will allow Horry County to create a tax on the gambling boats, County Attorney John Weaver said.
The county is not a party to the lawsuit, which is between the Department of Revenue and Sun Cruz. Danny Brazell, spokesman for the revenue department, said Thursday the agency had no comment.
A tax ordinance will likely be introduced in the next couple of weeks and must be approved by County Council. [ read full article ]