The latest move is a "racino." The Windsor Raceway, a drab structure in a remote part of the city, plans to install 1,000 slot machines next month to make a racetrack and casino hybrid.
"We're molding ourselves into a one-stop gaming facility for the new millennium," Windsor Raceway Chief Executive John Millson told The Detroit News. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." The track derives half of its business from the United States.
Even with the government-owned Casino Windsor 15 minutes away, casino developers believe there's room for more players - and raceway officials have elaborate plans.
At Windsor Raceway, 10 percent of the machines' net win will go to horse purses. "The slot machines will allow us to invest more money in our racing. It's a fabulous combination," Millson said.
He said there may be plans for a hotel, golf course and possibly a dude ranch on the more than 300-acre raceway site.
And with such plans in the works, Metro Detroit racetracks fear being left in the dust.
Oakland County officials hope to bring a full-service casino to Hazel Park Harness Raceway under a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Bloomfield Township). The bill, scheduled to be heard Wednesday by the House Natural Resources Committee, would recognize the Swan Creek Black River Confederated Ojibwa Tribes of Michigan. Tribes must be federally recognized to open casinos.
"It would give them the right to petition the Interior Department to ask for competitive gaming," said Hazel Park Mayor Ben Colley, who has talked to the tribe about opening a casino at Hazel Park.
But, the bill won't be acted on until the next Congress takes over. And Gov. John Engler has opposed the expansion of Indian gaming to off-reservation sites such as Hazel Park.
Once the Detroit casinos open, some predict Casino Windsor could lose as much as half of its revenues. But, like Casino Windsor officials, Windsor Raceway executives believe their property can keep pace, citing no taxes on winnings and a favorable currency exchange rate.
"We're in the middle of a massive construction program, and we'll have 1,000 slot machines ready for gaming on the second of November," Millson said. Casino Windsor has 3,000 slots.
"They need something, so it's worth a try," she said. "Twenty years ago, they'd get 7,000 people here on a Tuesday night. Now they're lucky to get 700."
10-07-98
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