Detroit-area poker players will have one fewer option to choose from in less than two weeks, as the city's largest room, at Motorcity Casino Hotel in downtown Detroit, will close on August 5 at 6am. The official reason for the room's closure has not been disclosed, though rumors of its closure and conversion to addition slot-machine floor space have circulated for the better part of a year.
That significant changes were afoot were evident when the online home for Motorcity's poker room posted a message at the start of July that the poker VIP program would be discontinued. Hours played in the room from April through June will still count toward the existing poker VIP program's benefits through the end of September.
The online notice continues to make no mention of the room's August 5 closing date, which was disclosed separately by PlayMichigan late last week. Instead, the Motorcity poker room's landing page advises players to "See a Poker Room Supervisor for more information."
Several other options remain available
The loss of the Motorcity room is a cushioned blow to the region's players. The room seldom filled near its official capacity, which was formally the city's largest, and two other rooms, at MGM Grand Detroit and Hollywood Casino at Greektown, remain fully operational.
Another option is the large poker room at Caesars Windsor, which is just to the south of downtown Detroit across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. The Windsor room caters heavily to Detroit-area players. Yet another major option is the Firekeepers poker room a little under two hours to the west in Battle Creek, Michigan, which will become Michigan's largest poker room once MotorCity's room is shuttered. Several small poker rooms also serve the greater Detroit area.
