The casino scene in Detroit is off to a roaring start, with the MGM Grand Detroit Casino and the MotorCity Casino leading the way. Temporary casinos? Hardly. Sure, there may be plans to open bigger, better, “permanent” casinos with hotels in the future, but that should in no way diminish the present facilities. They’re big, they’re fabulous, they’re crowded, and they’re right here in Motown, U.S. of A.
MotorCityThe MotorCity Casino is located right in downtown Detroit, just off the Lodge Freeway. I made my first visit on a Saturday night, and was overwhelmed by the crowd. The place was elbow to elbow, three-deep at the bars and even deeper at the tables, and the number of cigars being smoked simultaneously must have set a word record. Bold fashion statements in black leather and orange fur were everywhere—and the women were pretty decked out, too. After a futile attempt to get to the slot club booth, I decided to come back later.
On my return visit, I resolved to start at the top. Good move. The fourth floor is high roller territory, an island of relative serenity for the big money players—highly civilized, $100 minimum blackjack, dealt to the strains of soft jazz. Mechanical slots, $5 and up, are scattered throughout the spacious gaming area. I also found some $5 9/6 Jacks or Better machines, even at the Signature Club bar.
The entire third floor is smoke free, and features several banks of $1 and 50-cent Sigma slot machines designated “MotorCity Slots.” These games (Free-N-Easy, Treasure Tunnel and Treasure Wheel) were very popular; every open machine was quickly snapped up. Nickel slots and three varieties of 25-cent progressive slots were equally popular, and I was delighted to find some quarter 9/7 Double Bonus video poker in the IGT Multi-poker machines.
Descending to the second floor, I began to notice elements in the relentless Art Deco architecture too striking to quickly pass over. The grillwork at the cashier’s cage, the lights over the gaming pit, and some of the machine signage is truly unique. Most of this floor is a maze of low, black-grated ceilings with shadowy lighting and massive square pillars; it’s about as close as I’ve ever come to gambling in the dark. In one corner is the Overdrive Lounge, steaming with hot funk and cool purple velvet. The games include 25-cent versions of the MotorCity Slots found upstairs, along with a nice selection of popular video and mechanical slots. Dollar 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker can be found in the Game King machines, and I saw two groups of $5 9/6 progressive machines.
Three of the casino’s four restaurants are found on this floor (the buffet is downstairs). Choose from fine dining at Iridescence, Middle Eastern cuisine for lunch or dinner at La Shish, and New York-style deli at the 24-hour Deli Unique. And don’t forget the High Octane Cafe, catering to the caffeine-and-sugar crowd with Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Down on the first floor, I finally made my way to the slot booth. Club Metro awards one point for every dollar played at any machine. Four hundred points earn $1 cash back, for a rebate of .25 percent. Comps are awarded separately. Games on this floor include $5 progressive Red, White and Blue slots, and a bank of 25-cent Reel ‘Em In machines with a new Corvette for a jackpot (this is, after all, Detroit). Dollar and $5 9/6 progressives are scattered about, and the “Poker City Quarter” machines feature progressive 8/5 Jacks and 9/6 Double Bonus with the jackpot starting at $1,200. About halfway down the long pit area are a few 50-cent 9/7 Double Bonus machines.
The Lion
Just a few city blocks away is the MGM Grand Detroit, another too-good-to-be-temporary casino, with three restaurants, 2,400 slots and over 80 table games. The Directors Club offers a .5 percent cash back rebate for slot players, .31 percent for video poker. Comps are awarded based on daily play.
All your favorite slot games, in all denominations, can be found somewhere in those 2,400 machines. I saw plenty of newer favorites, like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Elvis, and Monopoly (Reel Estate and Once Around versions), along with old favorites like Piggy Bankin’, Filthy Rich, Penguin Pays and many more. Progressive varieties include Sizzling 7’s, Black Gold, Jeopardy, Ten Times Pay, Wheel of Fortune and the house specialty, Majestic Lions.
I found no 9/6 Jacks or Better here, but there’s 9/7 Double Bonus at the quarter, half-dollar, dollar and five-dollar levels in the IGT Multi-poker machines, including a dozen quarter progressives along the wall near the Stage Bar. Several Game King multi machines, including many bartops, have a Double Deuces game that pays 2,000 coins for four Deuces instead of the usual 1,000, which raises its expected return to nearly 99 percent (over 99 percent when combined with the .31 percent slot club).
Speaking of bartop machines, all of the casino bars offer two in-house brews for only $1 (drinks are not comped in either Detroit casino). The Grand Vanilla Porter is a dark draft beer with a peculiar sweet taste (that would be the vanilla, I suppose); give it a try, even if you don’t ordinarily enjoy dark beer—you might like this one. The bartenders will be happy to pour you a taster. The MGM Grand Lion Lager is a more traditional golden lager, served in bottles. They are both distinctive and tasty; I found it difficult to pick a favorite (but I kept trying. Never give up!). Or you can get a bottle of Bud for $2.25.
Restaurants include the legendary Hollywood Brown Derby, Neyla (“A Mediterranean Grill”), and the Grand Buffet. I tried the buffet and found it superior to the MotorCity’s in quantity and quality of selections, and especially in design. The Grand Buffet is arranged in stations or nationalities, as the super buffets in Las Vegas are, encouraging diners to circulate. The MotorCity’s buffet is more cafeteria-style; people tended to line up behind one another.
Looking Ahead
I also took the time to wander over to Greektown, a multi-cultural city-within-a-city, where Detroit’s third casino is soon to open. I found a vibrant neighborhood full of interesting and popular restaurants, unique shops, friendly taverns, and colorful characters (like the guy on the corner singing Broadway show tunes, apparently oblivious to the near-zero cold).
The Greektown Casino promises 2,400 machines and 90 tables, three spectacular restaurants, and the opportunity for accommodations at The Athenaeum, a nearby, old-world Four Diamond hotel (neither the MotorCity Casino nor the MGM Grand operates a hotel yet).
I, for one, am looking forward to it! l