Casino Economy - Detroit's Mayor says the city is in the process of moving from a manufacturing economy to a casino economy. Is Michigan on the road to becoming Nevada north? Are casinos the solution to our economic woes? What would a casino economy look like? And who wins?
Jack talks with Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer; Roger Martin, spokesman for Greektown Casino;and William Thompson, author of "Gambling in America: An Encyclopedia of History Issues and Society" and Professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
General questions for your guests: What happens to Greektown itself once the permanent casino is built and the temporary casino is closed? There are many bars and restaurants that are surviving because of the current (temporary) Greektown casino that will not be able to service the permanent Greektown casino because they will no longer be within walking distance and suburbanites don't like to walk around downtown. Geoffrey Fieger once asked what happens to the temporary casinos once the permanent casinos are built? He speculated that Detroit could end up with 6 casinos. Does Romulus deserve a casino? They are setting themselves up for that possiblity. They could easily service the airport clientele. Any casino in the metro-Detroit area that is not in Detroit would attract those afraid of Detroit and likely draw money away from the Detroit casinos. Are there any plans for riverboat gambling along the Detroit River? Any plans to refurbish and reopen the Belle Isle casino?
Posted by: Allen Salyer | November 29, 2005 at 12:58 PM