Greektown Casino Fined For Past Ownership Violations

By COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) - Greektown Casino LLC was ordered Tuesday to pay nearly $530,000 in fines related to 25 violations under its previous ownership and management, according to the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

The fines were ordered after the casino approved acknowledging the violations that occurred between 2010 and 2014 when it was owned by Greektown Superholdings, Inc.

Gambling regulators approved the sale of the downtown casino in 2013 to Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans owner Dan Gilbert.

Greektown Superholdings operated the casino complex on behalf of a number of owners.

The violations included failure by then-casino ownership to report a land swap deal and payment of a $420,000 broker fee to a real estate firm without a Gaming Control Board-issued license. The land swap violation's fine was $150,000.

Violations and fines also included:

- Minors in the casino and liquor violations: $31,500

- Violations of board orders: $220,000

- Customer disputes and violations of a list of disassociated persons: $50,000

- Violations of licensing requirements: $180,000

"Greektown Casino's current management has stepped up and handled violations that occurred before its tenure," Gaming Control Board Executive Director Richard Kalm said. "The current casino management team has improved business practices and taken measures to ensure compliance in all aspects of operations."

The violations were inherited when the casino's current owners acquired the property in April 2013, Rock Gaming and Greektown Casino-Hotel Board Vice-Chair Matt Cullen said in a release.

"We have taken responsibility as the casino licensee and worked ... to fully understand and resolve the inherited matters," Cullen said. "We are eager to put these matters behind us as we continue with our work to revitalize the property."