6 More Michigan Casinos Reopened Friday

As of Friday, over 50% of Michigan’s casinos have begun accepting bets.

After a closure of almost three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bay Mills Casino in Brimley and all five Kewadin Casinos have reopened for business.

By Monday, the number of open casinos in Michigan reached 20, as the three Four Winds Casinos in the southwest region reopened, adding to the existing 17 casinos that were already operating as of Friday.

As of Friday, nine casinos in Michigan remained closed, including the three commercial casinos located in Detroit. Greektown Casino-Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino are eagerly awaiting an update from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer regarding their reopening schedule.

As of Friday, the COVID-19 Tracker on the American Gaming Association’s website indicates that there are currently 621 open casinos nationwide, while 368 remain closed.

Bay Mills, Kewadin have restrictions upon opening

Bay Mills recently announced a partnership with DraftKings Sportsbook, resulting in temporary changes at the establishment.

At all times, customers must maintain a minimum distance of two machines. Table games are currently unavailable, and the operating hours for the initial week are from 10 a.m. until midnight.

The Kewadin locations in Christmas, Hessel, Manistique, Sault Ste. Marie, and St. Ignace do not have open table games.

The casino has installed plexiglass barriers between team members and guests whenever feasible, as stated in its guidelines.

Which Michigan casinos are open?

Despite Bay Mills Casino reopening at 10 a.m. today, its counterpart in Brimley, located just 2 miles away, remains closed.

Kings Club Casino, one of three Upper Peninsula casinos that remain closed, does not have a reopening date determined by The Bay Mills Indian Community.

Upper Peninsula casinos

There are currently eight operational casinos in the Upper Peninsula.

• Today marks the reopening of Bay Mills Casino in Brimley.
• The Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan, was the initial casino in the state to resume operations on May 16, despite initially planning to reopen on May 6. Visitors can enjoy round-the-clock access to slot machines.
• On Friday, all five locations of Kewadin Casinos were opened.
• As of May 22nd, Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet has reopened. The casino and bar will now remain open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Lower Peninsula casinos

The casinos in the Lower Peninsula are currently open.

• FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek reopened on June 1. The website provides information on slot occupancy totals, with a higher percentage indicating fewer available games. As occupancy approaches 80%, entrances may be closed.
• On June 15, at noon, Dowagiac, Hartford, and New Buffalo locations of Four Winds Casinos are scheduled to reopen. Additionally, the South Bend, IN location will also reopen on the same day.
• The reopening of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland took place on June 8, and it has now resumed its 24/7 operations. Table games are available from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., while the poker room remains temporarily closed. To verify the slot occupancy, you can check here.
• Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown has resumed operations starting from May 29th. The casino now offers a variety of table games, Bingo, and Thursday Senior Slot Tournaments once again.
• The Little River Casino Resort in Manistee reopened its doors on May 29th. However, it is important to note that all guests must be at least 18 years old to gain entry into the entire building, and not just the casino floor.
• According to the Petoskey News-Review, the Odawa Casinos in Mackinaw City and Petoskey opened on May 22 and May 29 respectively. The Petoskey location recently organized a free drive-through COVID-19 testing event over the weekend, where over 550 local residents were tested.
• The Saganing Eagles Landing Casino and Hotel in Standish has officially reopened to the general public as of June 1. Additionally, the RV park is now open for visitors.
• The reopening of Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant on June 1 was accompanied by a change in their concert ticket policy. Instead of transferring tickets to rescheduled shows, Soaring Eagle is now offering refunds for their concerts.
• On May 29, Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg officially reopened its doors. Additionally, the hotel is now accepting reservations.

Which Michigan casinos are closed?

There are still three LP casinos that remain closed.

• Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit is currently waiting for an update from the governor’s office regarding the anticipated date of reopening.
• MGM Grand Detroit is currently awaiting an update from the governor’s office regarding the official date for reopening.
• MotorCity Casino in Detroit is currently awaiting confirmation from the governor’s office regarding its reopening date.

There are three casinos in UP that are currently closed.

• According to a Facebook message from the Bay Mills account, the Kings Club Casino in Brimley will remain closed until further notice.
• The reopening date for the Baraga and Marquette locations of Ojibwa Casinos has not been determined yet.

When will Detroit’s casinos reopen?

Detroit’s casinos are still awaiting a reopening date from Gov. Whitmer, while the rest of the state’s economy is gradually resuming operations.

Starting from June 8th, Whitmer allowed bars and restaurants to resume operations, but with a limited capacity of 50%. Additionally, salons and barbershops are permitted to reopen across the state starting from this upcoming Monday.

On June 8, the Michigan Gaming Control Board released reopening guidelines for the Detroit casinos, awaiting the governor’s approval. These guidelines entail operating at 15% capacity, prohibiting smoking on the casino floor, and temporarily closing poker rooms.

Whitmer expressed her desire to transition Michigan to the next phase of reopening before the Fourth of July.