Lions' Barry Sanders to place first bet at MotorCity; sports book to be operated by FanDuel

Detroit — You can add MotorCity to the roster.

MotorCity Casino Hotel announced Wednesday morning that its sports book, FanDuel Sportsbook, will also open in time for the NCAA Tournament that starts next week.

MotorCity will start taking live sports bets Thursday, one day after live sports betting was to launch. MGM Grand Detroit and Greektown started taking bets the minute it was officially legal, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

MotorCity said its sports book, which is the former Chromatics Lounge and Spectators bar locations, will be two stories, and include six betting windows and 54 self-service kiosks. MGM Grand Detroit has 18 kiosks, and Greektown 40.

All three casinos, for the time being, will take bets on United States sporting events only. International events can be bet once one the gaming licenses, now temporary as the state rushed to get it in place by March Madness, become permanent.

"For two decades, we have been committed to reimagining the guest experience — consistently raising the bar with innovative entertainment," Bruce Dall, president of MotorCity, said in a statement.

"This relationship takes it to the next level."

FanDuel, known for its popular daily fantasy play, will run the sports book at MotorCity.

"Detroit is an incredible sports town," said Matt King, CEO of the FanDuel Group. "It has everything we look for — from the industry-leading casino operation to the proud and passionate Midwest fanbase.

"We couldn't be more excited about the move to Detroit."

More: Detroit casinos, which draw thousands of customers a day, combating coronavirus fears

MotorCity will host a VIP ceremony Thursday, with Lions legend Barry Sanders placing the casino's first wager at 10 a.m. Other dignitaries scheduled to attend: Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and state representatives Michael Webber and Matt Hall.

Later in the evening, the casino will host a Red Wings watch party, with former Wings Darren McCarty and Joey Kocur in attendance.

Greektown's sports book, The Sportsbook at Greektown Casino-Hotel, is located on the second level, near Trapper's Bar.

MGM Grand's sports book, BETMGM, is located steps off the casino hotel entrance, right outside its rebranded BETGMGM Sports Lounge, which used to be Moneyline Sports Lounge, which opened in October in anticipation of sports betting going live.

It was pivotal for the three casinos to get up and running ahead of the NCAA Tournament, which starts next Tuesday. The NCAA Tournament, Super Bowl and, interestingly, the presidential election are three of the biggest live-betting events.

"We've been talking about this kind of gaming legislation for over a decade," said David Tsai, president and COO at MGM Grand Detroit. "A lot of work has gone into preparing for this big day."

The Detroit casinos are the only ones in the state that will have live betting in time for "March Madness." The other 22 casinos, all tribal, also plan sports betting, but will be rolling it out throughout the year, with Firekeepers in Battle Creek expected to be the first, sometime this spring.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984