© Provided by Marquette WLUC Ojibwa Casinos will remain open at this time. (WLUC photo)
The Island Resort & Casino acknowledges the State of Michigan's most recent updates & continues to closely monitor the situation in the Upper Peninsula and the surrounding areas. —- Wednesday, June 10 —- Drift Spa is now open! At this time services will only be available by appointment. Island Resort & Casino, Harris, Michigan. 41,780 likes 460 talking about this 52,003 were here. Whether it's championship golf, Vegas-style gaming, the Drift Spa or one of our 6 delicious dining. Tony Mancilla, General Manager for the Island Resort and Casino, reportedly told WJMN-TV that now is the right time to re-open his property as it has partnered with the National Indian Gaming Commission and regulators in Nevada to formulate a range of anti-coronavirus measures to safeguard employees and customers.
HARRIS, Mich. (WLUC) - UPDATE at 2:30 p.m. Friday:
Island Resort & Casino is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The casino offers 1,200 slot machines, traditional table games, a poker room, bingo and a sportsbook. Round poker table with folding legs. The property includes a 320-room hotel with the Drift Spa, an RV park with 42 spaces, eight food and drink venues, a 1,315-seat live entertainment theater and two 18-hole golf.
All U.P. casinos now plan to close amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Island Casino In Escanaba Michigan
The Ojibwa Casinos in Chocolay Township and Baraga will close at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community announced Friday. It will remain closed through April 12.
In Watersmeet, the LVD Northern Waters Casino Resort, Sugarbush Restaurant, Northern Waters Café, and Northern Waters Sports Bar will close to the public Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians announced Friday the businesses will tentatively re-open at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2020.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
While most businesses in Michigan have been shut down, casinos on Indian reservations do not have to follow the same guidelines.
Ojibwa and Northern Waters will remain open to the public. Ojibwa, however, will be closed daily from 2:30 a.m. until 7:00 a.m.
'We intend to use this extended closing time to clean, sanitize and disinfect our casinos and related properties to further protect the health and safety of our guests and our team members,' said an Ojibwa Casino press release.
They have increased hand sanitizing stations throughout their property as well as increased staff to clean common touch surfaces. The pool and conference room are closed to the public until further notice.
Northern Waters will remain open during normal business hours.
'Tribal Leadership is closely monitoring all COVID-19 information and taking necessary steps to ensure community safety,' said a Northern Waters press release.
The Island Resort and Casino is in the process of shutting down their facility.
'We want to make sure that you know we are not going to cause be a cause of that but as you know that the U.P. doesn't have any cases of that so I think that casinos and the restaurants are closed down and they're not gonna contribute to it,' said Tony Mancilla, Island Resort and Casino general manager.
The Island Resort and Casino has taken several days to shut down each part of the resort. They're scheduled to be completely closed by noon on Saturday with plans to reopen on April 6. All Island Resort and Casino employees will be paid during this time.
Kewadin Casinos is also working on a phase closure. They will reopen on April 6. A list of the their closings are as follows:
• Suspension of dine-in service beginning March 18
• Deli curb side pickup will be available at Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace March 18-22 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Hessel on March 18 at 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Christmas and Manistique on March 19 at 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace on March 22 at 5 p.m.
• All hotel guests are being required to checkout by 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.
• Guest reservations between March 22 – April 5 will be automatically cancelled.
Bay Mills Casino finished their phase closing on Thursday. They are now completely closed to the public but will reopen on April 10. Tribal Leadership will continue to evaluate the situation and make changes if necessary.
For each casino's website, click below:
With the COVID-19 news ever evolving, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Detroit's three casinos are being temporarily shut down by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
However, the state's nearly two dozen tribal casinos are not all beholden to the board.
Legalized sports betting opened in Detroit last week right around the time most sports leagues shut down because of the national emergency.
The situation is fluid and there are new headlines with every refresh of your Twitter feed. Here's the latest:
March 21 updates
1 p.m. – All Upper Peninsula casinos closing by early Sunday
As of midnight early Sunday, all 11 Upper Peninsulas will temporarily be closed because of coronavirus concerns.
The five Kewadin locations, two Ojibwa locations, and Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet will be the final casinos to close early Sunday.
An announcement said the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council plans to re-open the Ojibwa locations in Marquette and Baraga on April 12 and that casino and government employees will be compensated during this temporary closure.
Bay Mills Resort and Casino and Kings Club will open at noon on April 10, Northern Waters will close until April 11 and Island Resort Casino in Harris is closed through April 6.
March 18 updates
4 p.m. – MotorCity Casino donating to DDOT
MotorCity Casino announced Wednesday it donated 6,000 sanitizing wipes and 8,000 vinyl gloves to the city of Detroit on Tuesday night for Detroit Department of Transportation drivers to use.
2 p.m. – Gun Lake announces food assistance program
The temporary closure of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland has resulted in one positive for the local community.
The casino announced Wednesday a food assistance program that is a result of the coronavirus closure, which is slated to run through March 30.
Gun Lake donated more than 2.75 tons of food from their coolers to local organizations in West Michigan, including Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan and Hand2Hand.
Team Members transported over 2.75 tons of food between Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan, and Hand2Hand. Our closure resulted in an excess of fresh food that we contributed to combat hunger.
LEARN MORE: https://t.co/f6WU3kNhoZpic.twitter.com/peyoKSkzjp
— Gun Lake Casino (@GunLakeCasino) March 18, 2020
March 17 updates
11 a.m. – Upper Peninsula casions still in operation
The games are still going on at some of the Upper Peninsula casinos, while all Lower Peninsula facilities have been closed.
Gov. Whitmer has no authority over tribal casinos, but many are voluntarily shutting down anyways.
In the U.P., Kings Club and Bay Mills Resort in Brimley have shortened from 24 hours to being open from 8 a.m. until midnight this week. Then, the casinos will close from midnight Friday through April 10.
Table games and beverage stations have been closed at the five Kewadin Casino locations, while bus trips through April 5 will be rescheduled. Shows have been postponed at many of the facilities, including a Candlebox concert on April 18 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The two Ojibwa Casino locations in Baraga and Marquette were open Tuesday, though the Marquette location was scheduled to close from 2:30 a.m. until 7 on Wednesday for cleaning.
At Island Resort & Casino in Harris, bus tours will be halted from Thursday through April 6. Tesla shows on April 24-25 are also postponed.
10:30 a.m. – Report: MGM Grand Detroit will pay its workers
MGM Grand will pay its employees and continue its health care coverage for workers during the coronavirus shutdown, the Detroit Free Press reported.
UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg confirmed with the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that MGM decided late Monday 'to pay their workers as the other casinos have in Detroit, while they're impacted, and continue their healthcare coverage through June.'
3 a.m. – All Lower Peninsula casinos closed as Four Winds shuts down
Four Winds Casino locations in New Boston, Dowagiac and Hartford closed overnight Tuesday, meaning all 14 Lower Peninsula casinos are now closed.
The casino announced on its web site that the closure will continue until March 30 and then re-evaluated. All entertainment through April 4 is being postponed.
March 16 updates
9:40 p.m. – Four Up North casinos closing
A quartet of northern Michigan tribal casinos are closing this week voluntarily.
Turtle Creek in Williamsburg, Leelanau Sands in Peshawbestown and Little River in Manistee closed on Monday, and Petoskey's Odawa Casino will close Tuesday. All four facilities mentioned March 30 as a potential tentative re-opening date.
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians will voluntarily close the Odawa at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The hotel will remain open.
Notices about the four closures said all employees will be fully compensated during the closings.
3:20 p.m. – Soaring Eagle joins list of closures
At 5 p.m. Monday, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant will be the next Michigan casino to close.
According to the Soaring Eagle website, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe facility will close until further notice, along with the tribe's Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish.
1:39 p.m. – MGM Grand Detroit moves closure to 3 p.m.
In an email to customers, MGM Grand Detroit moved its Monday closure up two hours to 3 p.m., falling in line with Whitmer's directive to close at that time.
'As always, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority,' the email read, noting the facility will be closed two weeks and re-evaluated after that.
MGM will be the third and final of the Detroit casinos to close because of the ongoing national emergency.
Noon – MotorCity Casino, Greektown closed
MotorCity Casino and Greentown Casino closed at noon, two of Detroit's three casinos.
But the MotorCity hotel will remain open 'offering its luxury accommodations to those who need a respite during these unprecedented times,' according to information on the casino website.
Concerts at MotorCity through April 5 are being rescheduled with a Brian McKnight show set for March 19 already moved to May 24.
Is The Island Casino In Escanaba Michigan Open Saturday
MGM Grand Detroit is still set to close at 5 p.m.
Attention! 📣 Brian McKnight, originally scheduled for March 19, has been rescheduled for May 24, 2020 at 8pm. ALL tickets will be valid for the new date. Those unable to attend will receive a full refund through March 20, 2020 from their original point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/tDBTHyxK71
— MotorCity Casino (@MotorCityCasino) March 13, 2020
4 a.m. – Casino Windsor closes overnight
Across the Detroit River from downtown, Caesars Windsor closed the gaming floor at 4 a.m. Monday and hotel guests were told to depart by noon.
The Casino also announced the postponement of four concerts: Ice Cube on March 26, Pitbull on March 29, REO Speedwagon on April 3 and Jason Derulo on April 10.
The health, safety and well-being of our employees and guests are our highest priority. With OLG's recent announcement, we are working on an orderly shutdown based on the recommendation of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health to temporarily close until further notice. pic.twitter.com/4gwOE6JraP
— Caesars Windsor (@CaesarsWindsor) March 15, 2020
3 a.m. – FireKeepers in Battle Creek closes
FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek closed overnight Monday with all scheduled entertainment postponed during the closure.
A performance by Larry the Cable Guy was postponed on Saturday.
12:35 a.m. – Greektown Casino will pay its employees
According to The Detroit News, Greektown Casino will continue to pay its employees their full wages during the shutdown, which will start at noon Monday and continue for at least two weeks.
March 15 updates
11:30 p.m. – MGM Grand to close Monday
MGM Grand Detroit announced it would be closing at 5 p.m. on Monday for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
The closure includes also includes the facility's restaurants and bars.
In compliance with the Michigan Gaming Control Board's order, MGM Grand Detroit will temporarily suspend operations by 5:00pm, March 16. It is anticipated that it will remain closed for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
More: https://t.co/Aky1yT5K8Rpic.twitter.com/ihszZMAluk
— MGM Grand Detroit (@MGMGrandDetroit) March 16, 2020
All U.P. casinos now plan to close amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Island Casino In Escanaba Michigan
The Ojibwa Casinos in Chocolay Township and Baraga will close at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community announced Friday. It will remain closed through April 12.
In Watersmeet, the LVD Northern Waters Casino Resort, Sugarbush Restaurant, Northern Waters Café, and Northern Waters Sports Bar will close to the public Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians announced Friday the businesses will tentatively re-open at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2020.
----- Legal online gambling in colorado.
ORIGINAL STORY:
While most businesses in Michigan have been shut down, casinos on Indian reservations do not have to follow the same guidelines.
Ojibwa and Northern Waters will remain open to the public. Ojibwa, however, will be closed daily from 2:30 a.m. until 7:00 a.m.
'We intend to use this extended closing time to clean, sanitize and disinfect our casinos and related properties to further protect the health and safety of our guests and our team members,' said an Ojibwa Casino press release.
They have increased hand sanitizing stations throughout their property as well as increased staff to clean common touch surfaces. The pool and conference room are closed to the public until further notice.
Northern Waters will remain open during normal business hours.
'Tribal Leadership is closely monitoring all COVID-19 information and taking necessary steps to ensure community safety,' said a Northern Waters press release.
The Island Resort and Casino is in the process of shutting down their facility.
'We want to make sure that you know we are not going to cause be a cause of that but as you know that the U.P. doesn't have any cases of that so I think that casinos and the restaurants are closed down and they're not gonna contribute to it,' said Tony Mancilla, Island Resort and Casino general manager.
The Island Resort and Casino has taken several days to shut down each part of the resort. They're scheduled to be completely closed by noon on Saturday with plans to reopen on April 6. All Island Resort and Casino employees will be paid during this time.
Kewadin Casinos is also working on a phase closure. They will reopen on April 6. A list of the their closings are as follows:
• Suspension of dine-in service beginning March 18
• Deli curb side pickup will be available at Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace March 18-22 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Hessel on March 18 at 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Christmas and Manistique on March 19 at 5 p.m.
• Closure of Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace on March 22 at 5 p.m.
• All hotel guests are being required to checkout by 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.
• Guest reservations between March 22 – April 5 will be automatically cancelled.
Bay Mills Casino finished their phase closing on Thursday. They are now completely closed to the public but will reopen on April 10. Tribal Leadership will continue to evaluate the situation and make changes if necessary.
For each casino's website, click below:
With the COVID-19 news ever evolving, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Detroit's three casinos are being temporarily shut down by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
However, the state's nearly two dozen tribal casinos are not all beholden to the board.
Legalized sports betting opened in Detroit last week right around the time most sports leagues shut down because of the national emergency.
The situation is fluid and there are new headlines with every refresh of your Twitter feed. Here's the latest:
March 21 updates
1 p.m. – All Upper Peninsula casinos closing by early Sunday
As of midnight early Sunday, all 11 Upper Peninsulas will temporarily be closed because of coronavirus concerns.
The five Kewadin locations, two Ojibwa locations, and Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet will be the final casinos to close early Sunday.
An announcement said the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council plans to re-open the Ojibwa locations in Marquette and Baraga on April 12 and that casino and government employees will be compensated during this temporary closure.
Bay Mills Resort and Casino and Kings Club will open at noon on April 10, Northern Waters will close until April 11 and Island Resort Casino in Harris is closed through April 6.
March 18 updates
4 p.m. – MotorCity Casino donating to DDOT
MotorCity Casino announced Wednesday it donated 6,000 sanitizing wipes and 8,000 vinyl gloves to the city of Detroit on Tuesday night for Detroit Department of Transportation drivers to use.
2 p.m. – Gun Lake announces food assistance program
The temporary closure of Gun Lake Casino in Wayland has resulted in one positive for the local community.
The casino announced Wednesday a food assistance program that is a result of the coronavirus closure, which is slated to run through March 30.
Gun Lake donated more than 2.75 tons of food from their coolers to local organizations in West Michigan, including Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan and Hand2Hand.
Team Members transported over 2.75 tons of food between Dégagé Ministries, Feeding America West Michigan, and Hand2Hand. Our closure resulted in an excess of fresh food that we contributed to combat hunger.
LEARN MORE: https://t.co/f6WU3kNhoZpic.twitter.com/peyoKSkzjp
— Gun Lake Casino (@GunLakeCasino) March 18, 2020
March 17 updates
11 a.m. – Upper Peninsula casions still in operation
The games are still going on at some of the Upper Peninsula casinos, while all Lower Peninsula facilities have been closed.
Gov. Whitmer has no authority over tribal casinos, but many are voluntarily shutting down anyways.
In the U.P., Kings Club and Bay Mills Resort in Brimley have shortened from 24 hours to being open from 8 a.m. until midnight this week. Then, the casinos will close from midnight Friday through April 10.
Table games and beverage stations have been closed at the five Kewadin Casino locations, while bus trips through April 5 will be rescheduled. Shows have been postponed at many of the facilities, including a Candlebox concert on April 18 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The two Ojibwa Casino locations in Baraga and Marquette were open Tuesday, though the Marquette location was scheduled to close from 2:30 a.m. until 7 on Wednesday for cleaning.
At Island Resort & Casino in Harris, bus tours will be halted from Thursday through April 6. Tesla shows on April 24-25 are also postponed.
10:30 a.m. – Report: MGM Grand Detroit will pay its workers
MGM Grand will pay its employees and continue its health care coverage for workers during the coronavirus shutdown, the Detroit Free Press reported.
UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg confirmed with the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that MGM decided late Monday 'to pay their workers as the other casinos have in Detroit, while they're impacted, and continue their healthcare coverage through June.'
3 a.m. – All Lower Peninsula casinos closed as Four Winds shuts down
Four Winds Casino locations in New Boston, Dowagiac and Hartford closed overnight Tuesday, meaning all 14 Lower Peninsula casinos are now closed.
The casino announced on its web site that the closure will continue until March 30 and then re-evaluated. All entertainment through April 4 is being postponed.
March 16 updates
9:40 p.m. – Four Up North casinos closing
A quartet of northern Michigan tribal casinos are closing this week voluntarily.
Turtle Creek in Williamsburg, Leelanau Sands in Peshawbestown and Little River in Manistee closed on Monday, and Petoskey's Odawa Casino will close Tuesday. All four facilities mentioned March 30 as a potential tentative re-opening date.
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians will voluntarily close the Odawa at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The hotel will remain open.
Notices about the four closures said all employees will be fully compensated during the closings.
3:20 p.m. – Soaring Eagle joins list of closures
At 5 p.m. Monday, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant will be the next Michigan casino to close.
According to the Soaring Eagle website, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe facility will close until further notice, along with the tribe's Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish.
1:39 p.m. – MGM Grand Detroit moves closure to 3 p.m.
In an email to customers, MGM Grand Detroit moved its Monday closure up two hours to 3 p.m., falling in line with Whitmer's directive to close at that time.
'As always, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority,' the email read, noting the facility will be closed two weeks and re-evaluated after that.
MGM will be the third and final of the Detroit casinos to close because of the ongoing national emergency.
Noon – MotorCity Casino, Greektown closed
MotorCity Casino and Greentown Casino closed at noon, two of Detroit's three casinos.
But the MotorCity hotel will remain open 'offering its luxury accommodations to those who need a respite during these unprecedented times,' according to information on the casino website.
Concerts at MotorCity through April 5 are being rescheduled with a Brian McKnight show set for March 19 already moved to May 24.
Is The Island Casino In Escanaba Michigan Open Saturday
MGM Grand Detroit is still set to close at 5 p.m.
Attention! 📣 Brian McKnight, originally scheduled for March 19, has been rescheduled for May 24, 2020 at 8pm. ALL tickets will be valid for the new date. Those unable to attend will receive a full refund through March 20, 2020 from their original point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/tDBTHyxK71
— MotorCity Casino (@MotorCityCasino) March 13, 2020
4 a.m. – Casino Windsor closes overnight
Across the Detroit River from downtown, Caesars Windsor closed the gaming floor at 4 a.m. Monday and hotel guests were told to depart by noon.
The Casino also announced the postponement of four concerts: Ice Cube on March 26, Pitbull on March 29, REO Speedwagon on April 3 and Jason Derulo on April 10.
The health, safety and well-being of our employees and guests are our highest priority. With OLG's recent announcement, we are working on an orderly shutdown based on the recommendation of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health to temporarily close until further notice. pic.twitter.com/4gwOE6JraP
— Caesars Windsor (@CaesarsWindsor) March 15, 2020
3 a.m. – FireKeepers in Battle Creek closes
FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek closed overnight Monday with all scheduled entertainment postponed during the closure.
A performance by Larry the Cable Guy was postponed on Saturday.
12:35 a.m. – Greektown Casino will pay its employees
According to The Detroit News, Greektown Casino will continue to pay its employees their full wages during the shutdown, which will start at noon Monday and continue for at least two weeks.
March 15 updates
11:30 p.m. – MGM Grand to close Monday
MGM Grand Detroit announced it would be closing at 5 p.m. on Monday for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
The closure includes also includes the facility's restaurants and bars.
In compliance with the Michigan Gaming Control Board's order, MGM Grand Detroit will temporarily suspend operations by 5:00pm, March 16. It is anticipated that it will remain closed for two weeks, at which time the status will be re-evaluated.
More: https://t.co/Aky1yT5K8Rpic.twitter.com/ihszZMAluk
— MGM Grand Detroit (@MGMGrandDetroit) March 16, 2020
1:53 p.m. – Rep. Tlaib blasts casinos
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) took aim at Michigan casinos for staying open despite the health concerns, posting on Twitter that: 'Corporate greed is showing its ugly face during this public health crisis.'
Corporate greed is showing its ugly face during this public health crisis.
Chip Inn Island Casino
Casinos in Detroit staying open even though everything there involves touching machines, cards & being close to others. It's so disgustingly blantant that they don't care about people. #PeopleOverProfits
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 15, 2020
March 14 updates
Island Lake Casino Escanaba Michigan
5:08 p.m. – Gun Lake Casino voluntarily closing
Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, a tribal property south of Grand Rapids, announced its voluntarily closing from 3 a.m. Monday until 9 a.m. on March 30.
Is The Island Casino In Escanaba Michigan Open Back-up
'While there is no requirement to close, we believe in doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19,' the company said in a statement.