Striking casino workers in Detroit are attempting to extend their impact on the city’s three casinos by asking gaming customers to boycott four Michigan online casino platforms affiliated with the brick-and-mortar facilities in the city.
About 3,700 workers at the three casinos have been on strike since Oct. 17. The members of the union – the Detroit Casino Council – are demanding improvements in wages, protection for their healthcare, improved job security, and fair workloads.
However, all three casinos have access to online customers through their mobile platforms. In an effort to make an impact in cyberspace, the Detroit Casino Council, which represents the workers, said over the weekend that it is asking the public to boycott some online gaming platforms. It’s an attempt to establish a virtual picket line.
The iCasino platforms the union is targeting are FanDuel Michigan Online Casino (which is paired with MotorCity Casino), soon-to-be-launched ESPN BET and Hollywood iCasino (Hollywood Casino at Greektown) and BetMGM (MGM Grand Detroit). The union said the online platforms are critical sources of revenue for the companies that operate the Detroit casinos, which remain open during the labor stoppage but with reduced services.
In addition, the Detroit Casino Council plans a digital ad campaign aimed at users of the platforms informing them of the ongoing labor dispute. The workers on strike include dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and others.
The union added in a news release that a number of gambling apps are not being targeted in the boycott, such as Michigan Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook, WynnBET, DraftKings and Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, among others.
Casino Union Lists Its Reasons For Strike
The union contends that In September 2020, as the COVOD-19 pandemic was ravaging the gaming industry along with much of the rest of the U.S. economy, workers agreed to a three-year contract extension with minimal wage increases to help the local gaming industry weather the financial storm.
Since then, the union contends, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises as inflation has risen much higher.
BetMichigan.com will keep track of the latest developments in the labor stoppage, plus more industry news and the best Michigan sportsbook promos on the market.
