Many slots out of order in new casino

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Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000 | 11:37 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT -- Some gamblers are growing irate at Detroit's new MotorCity Casino, claiming the slot machines suffer from persistent outages, a Detroit newspaper reported.

The Detroit Free Press reported that a tour of the MotorCity property last week found that 114 of the property's 2,618 machines -- 4.3 percent -- were out of order. The property has received complaints about out-of-order machines since its Dec. 14 opening.

"We always want to have zero down, and we're working to fix them," said MotorCity spokesman Jack Barthwell. "We're a big place and there are plenty of machines available."

All of the property's machines are refurbished, while the 2,400 slots at the competing MGM Grand Detroit are all new. Casino Windsor, with 3,000 slots, also has all new machines. Both casinos say the MotorCity has had little effect on their business, but declined to provide numbers.

Las Vegas-based Mandalay Resort Group is a partner in MotorCity.