Online casinos and poker

MICHIGAN — As reported by the Detroit Free Press: “As nearly every other industry in Michigan tightens its belt, casinos are booming.

“Detroit’s three casinos are making more than they did last year, and beautiful casino resorts are popping up all over the state.

“On the far west side, at Exit 1 off I-94 in New Buffalo, the Four Winds Casino & Resort opened in August, offering lodge-style construction, some pretty restaurants (check out the copper boulder in the Copper Rock Steakhouse) and a hotel and spa. It’s the first casino in the state and one of the few in the country to offer an all-electronic poker room, and it’s ideally placed for a stop on a trip down south or out west.

“The Little River Casino in Manistee (at the intersection of U.S.-31 and M-22) completed a massive renovation in the fall that includes a stone and water-themed exterior.

“…Farther north, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians has been hard at work renovating nearly every facility it owns. Turtle Creek, 4 miles east of Traverse City in Williamsburg on M-72, is undergoing a huge transformation.

“The nearby Grand Traverse Resort & Spa finished its renovations in December 2006, so it’s an alternative place to stay…”