Could Detroit's Loss In Population Mean End Of Casinos?

DETROIT (WWJ) - Under state law, the casinos had to be built in an area defined as a city with a population of at least 800,000. But Detroit has now fallen well below that. 

Could Detroit's Loss In Population Mean No More Casinos?

According to officials with the Gaming Control Board, Michigan's Attorney General will be looking into the issue, and it'll like be discussed at a meeting Tuesday, March 29.

The question is whether the casino licenses are threatened by Census figures released this week that show Detroit has dropped to just under 714,000 people. 

City Councilman Gary Brown says it's a non-issue.

"When we got the license we needed 800,000, we've dropped below that but there wasn't a requirement that we maintain 800,000 people in our city in order to keep our casinos," says Brown.

If Detroit's casinos were to close, the city would lose millions of dollars and thousands of jobs.