About 2,000 Furloughed MotorCity Casino Workers To Lose Health Insurance

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Written By Matt Schoch on July 27, 2020Last Updated on August 6, 2020

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According to the Detroit Free Press, approximately 2,000 MotorCity Casino employees who have been furloughed will no longer have health insurance starting from August 1st.

Detroit’s three casinos were compelled to close for over four months due to the spread of COVID-19.

MotorCity Casino president Bruce Dall expressed in a statement provided to Playinmichigan on Friday that the decision is burdensome for them. He emphasized that although they have no control over these circumstances, they earnestly urge residents to adhere to safety protocols in order to curtail the virus’s transmission. By doing so, they believe all businesses in Michigan can eventually resume operations.

We aspire to safely welcome back both our employees and guests by collaborating collectively.

Since March 16, MotorCity, Greektown Casino-Hotel, and MGM Grand Detroit have remained closed, starting just five days after the commencement of sports betting in Michigan.

Detroit casinos await green light from Lansing

Governor Gretchen Whitmer remains steadfast in her decision not to reopen Detroit’s casinos, despite optimistic expectations for a Fourth of July weekend reopening.

Dall stated that they had initially planned to reopen their casino by July 4, implementing lower occupancy restrictions. Despite the reduced staffing levels due to the occupancy limits, they had made a commitment to offer healthcare benefits to all eligible employees until July 31, 2020, regardless of whether they would have been working or not.

The surge of coronavirus cases in Michigan during late June has not shown signs of subsiding, preventing the governor from easing restrictions. On Friday, the state reported 594 fresh coronavirus cases and three additional deaths.

Nearly all Michigan tribal casinos are open

In the meantime, 22 out of the 23 tribal casinos in Michigan have been reopened by autonomous tribes. The only exception is the Kings Club Casino, which is located close to another casino operated by the Bay Mills Indian Community in Brimley.

As per the American Gaming Association’s COVID-19 Casino Tracker, a total of 843 casinos across the nation were open on Friday afternoon, while 146 remained closed.

Detroit’s parent companies, the state, and the city are experiencing a decline in revenue due to the shutdown impacting the city’s casinos.

According to estimates by Detroit officials, the daily financial loss for the city due to casino shutdowns amounts to approximately $600,000.

Casino revenues have experienced a nearly 60% decline in the first half of 2020 compared to the previous year.

Dall: Workers can seek COBRA medical assistance

Starting on September 15th, Greektown, a property owned by Penn National Gaming, made the announcement of laying off 621 employees last month.

MGM announced in May that it would be implementing temporary layoffs for the majority of its employees.

Dall mentioned in his statement that MotorCity employees who qualify will have the opportunity to maintain their health care benefits through COBRA.

Dall stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have made consistent efforts to achieve their objectives of safely reemploying all MotorCity Casino Hotel staff and ensuring a secure and pleasant gaming experience for their guests. The hard-working associates who have rendered exceptional service to the guests are a source of immense pride. They deeply regret the immense hardship that the pandemic has imposed on each of them.

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