Much has been written about the hard economic times. Many brick and mortar casinos have seen their annual revenues slip below last year’s numbers. Economic analysts and fans usually look to Las Vegas to get a pulse on the gaming economy, but Las Vegas is not the only destination with casinos and it certainly is not the only one with brick and mortar casinos making less money.

The Greektown Casino in Detroit announced on May 30, 2008 that it was filing for bankruptcy protection. The state of Michigan has Indian gaming and for awhile that was the only type of casino action you could find in the state. In the late 1990’s the state and city of Detroit debated ways to raise revenue, allowing casinos was one way to both improve employment prospects and increase tax receipts. There are three casinos in Detroit, the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Greektown Casino. Across the AmbassadorBridge in WindsorCanada you can find Casino Windsor which is owned by Harrah’s, the same company that owns the Caesars Palace, the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and the Bally's Hotel and Casino among others famous Las Vegas hotels and casinos.

Greektown was the last casino to open in Detroit and it opened in November 2000. In 2007 the MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino became permanent casinos, but the Greektown Casino did not meet revenue projections and it was not granted permanent casino status. Even though the casino is filing for bankruptcy according its spokesman they still draw nearly 16,000 people a day. The Chippewa Indian tribes of Sault Ste. Marie are the principal owners. This bankruptcy filing will only hasten the complete failure of this casino as a business venture. Its customers will go to the other Detroit casinos or even to Casino Windsor.

The Greektown Casino is just one example of how difficult it is to operate a successful casino. Owning and running a business largely based on cash in a region of the country that is suffering from high unemployment means the owners are taking a gamble themselves.