Atlantic City, New Jersey - Casino workers from Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Detroit and Connecticut joined together today in a new Gaming Workers Council, with a broad organizing, bargaining and communications agenda. "We're excited," said Sharon Masino, a casino dealer at Caesars in Atlantic City and a member of the UAW/AC Dealers Union. "With everybody joining together, we'll be stronger than ever.

Detroit - It was no royal flush for Detroit's three casinos in 2008, but year-end revenue numbers released Monday showed a slight gain from 2007. Experts said the gain was a positive sign for Michigan's young gaming industry, often heralded as an integral part of diversifying the region's ailing economy. Total revenue for the three properties -- MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity and Greektown Casinos -- was up 1.84 percent in 2008, to USD 1.36 billion from USD 1.34 billion in 2007.

Greektown Casino is expected to run out of cash in December, hampering its ability to continue operating or to finish building its new hotel, which is slated to open in February, according to documents filed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The board that oversees Detroit’s three casinos filed documents in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Friday asking that a judge deny the casino’s request for a 60-day extension to file a plan to exit bankruptcy.

MGM Grand Detroit, the top earner of Detroit's three casinos, is laying off less than 100 workers for the second time this year, officials said. The layoffs coincide with MGM's one-year anniversary of moving to its new USD 800 million hotel and casino entertainment complex last October. All affected are hourly workers in food and beverage -- meaning those who work in restaurants and bars.

Detroit -- Detroit's casinos are holding their own against the state's widespread economic downturn, though it's been a struggle for some. The city's casinos posted an overall 5.67 percent rise in August revenue, compared with the same month a year ago. But the increase solely came from powerful gains at MGM Grand Detroit, according to figures released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

Some employees of Detroit's three casinos think they can beat the system that's in place to protect their workplace against cheats and thieves. Juanita Marzette Smith of Oak Park, who worked in one of Greektown Casino's count rooms, was fired after she picked up USD 480 in cash from her table with a tissue she had just used to blow her nose, stuffing the cash in her pocket.

Detroit (WWJ) - The House has soundly rejected legislation that would pave the way for two proposed Indian casinos in Michigan. Opponents said it would circumvent gambling laws. The bill led a clash among several Michigan lawmakers, gambling opponents and those trying to bring jobs to the state, which has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates. It was defeated on a vote of 298-121.

Detroit (AP) - If smoking is banned in Detroit bars, restaurants and workplaces, Betty Gilbert says it will hurt the city's casinos. Gilbert, who was smoking a cigarette Friday with members of her bowling team on a sidewalk near Greektown Casino downtown, should know. The 69-year-old from Cape May County, N.J. - who said she usually gambles weekly in Atlantic City - plans to cut back when that city's smoking law goes into effect.

Owners of the Greektown Casino may sidestep a potential state-ordered sale after a group of suburban businessmen announced it will invest USD 100 million in the struggling downtown Detroit gambling operation. The casino’s owners, Greektown Holdings LLC, already had missed an April deadline from the state to bring its financial performance up to required levels, and saw its debt downgraded in April by two major rating agencies over fears the state would force a sale by the end of June.

(Detroit Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) - The luxurious MGM Grand Detroit is laying off workers just six months after opening its permanent casino, hotel and entertainment complex. MGM Grand Detroit spokesman Scott Grigg said "under 100" employees had been laid off starting March 7. Most of the layoffs were limited to food and beverage operations, though some are tied to the hotel...

Detroit - A trio of casinos similar to those proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick have hit a wall in Detroit, leaving the cash-strapped city reeling from plummeting gambling revenues and sending a harsh warning to Massachusetts. A Herald review shows revenue generated by three Motor City casinos was down USD 82 million in 2007 while the state’s take fell by USD 10 million.

Detroit -- The city's three state-licensed casinos took in USD 1.335 billion in 2007 as revenue growth slowed to 2.4 percent, Michigan regulators said today. Revenue had grown 6.1 percent the year before. Michigan's wagering tax brought in USD 160 million in 2007, the Michigan Gaming Control Board reported. The tax brought in USD 158 million on revenues of USD 1.303 billion in 2006.