Ilitch Taking Over Nassau County, New York? Plan includes Baseball, Hockey, Shinnecock Indian Casinos

Review this plan from Nassau County, New York, home of the famed Belmont Park & Race Track. If this doesn't have Ilitch Family, Michael Malik fingerprints all over it: Baseball, Hockey, Shinnecock Indian Casinos....
Accelerate Nassau Now

A-Rod Gambling Investigation Raises Questions About Tiger's Baseball & Ilitch Casinos

With rumors circulating Alex Rodriguez took part in high-stakes underground poker games at a Beverly Hills mansion, Major League Baseball reportedly has him under investigation.  So, blogger Maury Brown (bizofbaseball.com) gives us a quick history lesson on MLB and gambling:  From A-Rod to the MLB Itself: A Brief History of Gambling and Casinos in Baseball. 

Here’s how Brown explains Detroit Tigers owner Mike Iltich’s gambling ties:

Illitch and the Wink-Wink Relationship to Casinos

MLB does not allow owners to be involved in direct ownership of casinos, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t nepotistic ways to get around it.

Case in point, Mike Illitch, the owner of the Detroit Tigers. While he’s not a casino owner, his wife Marian, is. In 2005, she became the owner of Detroit's MotorCity Casino. Since then, Mike Illitch’s wife has made minority investments in casinos across the country including the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, MI. Ilitch has partnered with the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Hampton Bays, New York to develop a recent casino in New York. Ilitch also a partnered with Barwest, LLC and Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians to develop casinos in Barstow, California.

Analysts question Ilitch finances, Tigers spending

7.20.09

Tigers' ticket sales fall, Ilitch still spending
Are team finances now at full count?

By Bill Shea: (313) 446-1626, bshea@crain.com

The division-leading Detroit Tigers have a large-market payroll with midsize market attendance that's off 22 percent from last year, something the team said it was prepared for but has baseball insiders speculating about the team's long-term financial health.

And to the delight of fans, if not economists, the team's owner is willing to spend even more to return to the World Series — even if it's a money-losing endeavor.

Attendance through last week's All-Star break was averaging 30,875 per game through 40 games at 41,255-seat Comerica Park compared to last season's 39,761 through the same number of home games.

At an average ticket price of $25.15, that roughly translates into $8.9 million less in ticket revenue so far this season.

The fan drop-off is attributed to both the team's last-place finish in 2008 and the subsequent national economic plunge that's been especially harsh in metro Detroit — vaporizing fans' disposable income and making them hesitant to buy tickets for a team three years removed from the Fall Classic.

Season ticket sales dropped to 15,000 this season from 27,000 a year ago.

“The attendance decline is out of step with the rest of the league. Attendance is down about 5 percent leaguewide, so the Tigers' 20 percent decline is not good,” said J.C. Bradbury, an economist and associate professor at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta. He's the author of The Baseball Economist and operates the baseball site www.Sabernomics.com ...

Economic news Web site Forbes.com, which tracks pro sports finances, reported that the Tigers had minus $26.3 million in operating income last season on revenue of $186 million. Gate receipts were $75 million.

“With his payroll and attendance and loss of corporate sponsorships, I think he's losing money,” said Andrew Zimbalist, professor of economics at Smith College in Massachusetts and author of several books on the business of baseball...

(Original Post)

10,000 fans a game reject Detroit Tigers after Ilitch hiked ticket prices

6.21.09

10,000 fewer Detroit Tigers fans fill seats each game
'08 heartbreak, weak economy are blamed

BY JOHN GALLAGHER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Boosted by their World Series appearance in 2006, the Tigers drew more than 3 million fans to Comerica Park for the first time in 2007, and topped 3.2 million fans in 2008, when expectations ran high.

But the Tigers, with a disappointing finish last year, combined with a collapsing economy, saw a plunge in ticket sales this year. The Tigers are averaging about 28,000 fans per game this year, down from 38,000 per game at this time last season...

...The Tigers have troubles beyond about 10,000 more empty seats per game this year than last. Forbes magazine, in its annual ranking of sports teams' values, put the Tigers in 21st out of 30 Major League Baseball teams, with a total value of $371 million. That estimate marked a 9% decline in value from the year before.

Moreover, the Tigers have one of the most expensive payrolls in baseball, with first baseman Miguel Cabrera signing a $153-million, 8-year.contract last year, breaking the $75-million, 5-year contract signed by outfielder Magglio Ordóñez in 2005. Combined with lower ticket sales, the team is losing money this year, Forbes estimated.

Meeting that payroll is one reason owner Mike Ilitch raised ticket prices this year.

"With the auto companies imploding and discretionary income plummeting for many fans, Ilitch's strategy looks like it has backfired," Forbes suggested earlier this year

Being privately owned by the Ilitch family empire, the Tigers do not release hard financial data. But Gilette said that absent a second-half collapse by the team (which, in fact, has failed to generate much offense lately despite its first-place standing), the Tigers should muddle through this season. (Complete Story)

Ilitch has long-standing conflict of interest, Selig looks the other way

An article on SportsColumn.com, "MLB Ramps Up Casino Partnerships," by writer Diane M. Grassi asks:

How does MLB oversee those sponsorships between MLB teams and casino operations which allow legal sports betting on their premises?...

...In Detroit there appears to be a long-standing conflict of interest with respect to the ownership of the Detroit Tigers as well as the MotorCity Casino, purchased by Ilitch Holdings, Inc. in 2005, which purportedly owns both entities simultaneously.

Michael Ilitch and his wife, Marion Ilitch [Marian Ilitch], are listed as the Tigers’ owner and the MotorCity Casino owner, respectively. The question arose when it was revealed that Marian Ilitch is Vice Chairman of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. which also owns the Detroit Tigers. But Ilitch friend and Commissioner Bud Selig overlooked the proprietary conflict and asked his staff to stand-down...

Forbes reports Detroit Tigers lost $26M; saw 9% drop in value

4.22.09

The Business Of Baseball
#21 Detroit Tigers

The skinny
Just two seasons after reaching the World Series the Detroit Tigers won only 74 games in 2008. The Tigers managed to accomplish this despite having a $136 million payroll, fourth highest in baseball. But Tiger fans stayed faithful, with a team-record 3.2 million of them pouring through the turnstiles. Billionaire owner and pizza chain king Michael Ilitch is taking a big risk this season, albeit probably a necessary one: With the Detroit economy crumbling he is raising ticket prices for "premium games" by $2 to $7 and many season ticket holders are getting a similar price hike. With the auto companies imploding and discretionary income plummeting for many fans, Ilitch's strategy looks like it has backfired. Season ticket holders have fallen [44%] from 27,000 in 2008 to a reported 15,000 this year. If attendance does not pick up during the summer, Ilitch will no doubt regret this gamble.

Forbes: #21 Detroit Tigers

Forbes: 2009 MLB Valuations

Crain's Detroit Business: Forbes.com reports 9% decline in value of Detroit Tigers franchise

BusinessWeek: Detroit Tigers, Inc. is a subsidiary of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

BusinessWeek's profile of Detroit Tiger, Inc.:

"Detroit Tigers, Inc. offers sports and entertainment services. The company manages a professional baseball team that participates in Major League Baseball. Additionally, it auctions game memorabilia and markets match tickets, sports merchandise, apparels, and accessories through its Website. The company was formed in 1901 and is based in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit Tigers, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Ilitch Holdings, Inc."

BusinessWeek's profile of CCM Merger, Inc. (parent of Detroit Entertainment LLC which does business as MotorCity Casino) indicates it too is a subsidiary of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.

John M. Kotlar, VP of Tax Affairs at Ilitch Holdings is registered as Resident Agent for Ilitch Holdings Inc., CCM Merger Inc. and Detroit Tigers Inc.


Mich.gov: Detroit Tigers, Inc.; Ilitch Holdings, Inc.; CCM Merger, Inc.; Detroit Entertainment, LLC

Could Rep. Young's controversial $10M Coconut Rd. earmark pave the way for Boston Red Sox?

The News-Press in Fort Meyers, Florida, reports that property in south Lee County, owned by Michigan developer Daniel J. Aronoff, is one of five sites under consideration for development of a new Boston Red Sox Spring Training Complex by 2012.

Aronoff's Florida land is under consideration because the Red Sox want a new complex with a stadium and practice field. In their current situation, the Red Sox play their games in downtown Fort Myers at City of Palms Park but hold early-spring workouts several miles away.

However, nothing is ever quite that easy. And, neither Aronoff or the two-square miles of wetlands property which sits along Interstate 75 are without controversy

See, both are at the center of a federal corruption investigation involving U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK) who earmarked $10 million for a Coconut Road interchange study after a 2005 Estero-area fundraiser, which Aronoff attended, netting Young about $40,000.

Capitol Hill Lobbyist Richard Alcalde (Potomac Partners DC) is also at the heart of the Coconut Road earmark investigation. Alcalde represented Aronoff's Landon Companies and Alcalde has been identified as one of a select group of "A-Team" lobbyists who are especially close to Young.

Alcalde represents another Michigan developer, Michael J. Malik, Sr., and Malik's casino gaming affiliate MJM Enterprises. Malik and a partner, Mrs. Marian Ilitch, are behind plans to advance several Indian casinos across the country. Alcalde represents one of their Native American partners as well, the Shinnecock Indian Nation of New York.

Like Aronoff, Malik and the Ilitch family have contributed and raised thousands for Rep. Young's committees and flown him around in their private aircraft; and in return, Young has helped advance plans they back for an Indian casino in Port Huron, Michigan.

And there's another Major League Baseball (MLB) connection too. Marian's husband, Mike Ilitch, owns the Detroit Tigers.

Charitable foundation affiliated with the family of Mike Ilitch uses $50,000 to purchase baseball tickets

According to its 2006 IRS Form 990, Ilitch Charities for Children (aka Ilitch Charities) spent $50,000 purchasing "baseball tickets" to distribute to "disadvantaged families."

Mike Ilitch, patriarch of Detroit's Ilitch family, owns the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball (MLB) team. The family-owned Olympia Entertainment holds the mangament and licensing contracts for Comerica Park, the home field of the Detroit Tigers. Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of these and other Ilitch family-owned enterprises.

Christopher Ilitch, CEO of Ilitch Holdings and a member of MotorCity Casino's management committee, is chairman of Ilitch Charities and his wife Kelle is a director. Christopher Ilitch's former executive assistant, David Agius, is president and treasurer of Ilitch Charities.

Ilitch charitable foundations used to promote struggling gambling hall

Detroit's powerful Ilitch family is using its various affiliated charitable foundations to promote and possibly even generate revenue for the struggling Detroit casino owned by the family's matriarch.

According to a press release marketing the two-day festivities, on August 24 & 25, Ilitch Charities along with the Detroit Tigers Foundation and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, hosted a Detroit area golf tournament which was preceded by a "Summer Soiree" preview party at Detroit's MotorCity Casino.

The gambling hall is reportedly owned entirely by Mrs. Marian Ilitch. Family patriarch Patriarch Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers and along with Marian is co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings.

Christopher Ilitch, CEO of Ilitch Holdings and a member of MotorCity Casino's management committee, is the chairman of Ilitch Chairities and his wife Kelle is a director. David Agius, Christopher Ilitch's one-time executive assistant, is the President of Ilitch Charities. Patriarch Mike Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers and along with Marian is co-owner of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Ilitch events were marketed as opportunities to play golf and mingle at MotorCity Casino with Hollywood celebrities as well as managers, players and coaches affiliated with the Ilitch owned Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers.

The Ilitch family has been using its charitable foundations and other assets to promote and drive revenues to MotorCity Casino. Twice before the Detroit Red Wings Foundation and player from the NHL franchise have been used to promote poker tournaments at MotorCity Casino.

Major League Baseball (MLB) has strict prohibitions against gambling and casinos which apply to its players, managers, coaches and owners. The press release suggest those currently affiliated with the Tigers baseball team were partcipants at the MotorCity Casino party.

Even after spending more than $300,000 renovating and expanding MotorCity Casino, revenues at the Ilitch-owned gambling hall have been on the decline. Crain's Detroit reports that revenues at the Ilitch casino are down 1.5% over the previous 12 months and in July alone revenues took a 7.26% dive. In the last several years, Moody's and Standard & Poor's have downgraded the credit ratings for MotorCity Casino (aka CCM Merger, Inc.)

Relationship betwen Ilitch owned baseball and gambling operations revealed

A press release issued by Ilitch Holdings, Inc. announcing the creation and hiring of a new VP of Government Relations suggests that Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is in fact the parent company of both the Detroit Tigers and MotorCity Casino among other Ilitch owned entities.

In the release, Ilitch Holdings CEO Christoper Ilitch says, the new VP Mike McLauchlan is "suited to interact with key governmental officials and community representatives in addressing the various legislative and civic issues that impact Ilitch-owned businesses."

It certainly sounds like this new exec will handle lobbying needs of both the Ilitch owned MLB team and the Ilitch owned gambling hall; as well as any other Ilitch owned business. This is yet another indication that the separation between baseball and gambling at Ilitch Holdings is paper thin, at best.

The press release is sure to point out that baseball team is owned by Mike Ilitch and MotorCity Casino is owned by Marian Ilitch. Somehow they seem to miss the point that both entities fall under the umbrella of parent Ilitch Holdings, Inc. As such, the press release fails to detail that:

• Mike Ilitch, owner of the baseball team, is Chairman of Ilitch Holdings, the parent of MotorCity Casino; and


• Marian Ilitch, owner of MotorCity Casino, serves as Vice Chairwoman of Ilitch Holdings, the parent of the Detroit Tigers baseball team.

Two years ago, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. purged most references to MotorCity Casino from its Web site attempting to suggest to outsiders that the gambling hall was a completely separate entity with no ties to Ilitch Holdings, Inc. or its other brands. This new press release clearly indicates otherwise. Is Bud Selig watching?

Blurred lines between Ilitch Holdings, Inc. and Ilitch owned gambling entities

A story in Crain's Detroit Business published 12.03.07 suggests that Detroit Entertainment LLC is "a distinct corporate venture from Ilitch Holdings Inc."

TVT's not buying that attempt to pull the wool over Bud Selig's eyes. Consider the following:

• Official press releases posted on the Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Web site indicate something different:
  
  http://www.ilitchholdings.com/Portals/0/Little-Caesars-Pizza-plans-growth.pdf
  "Part of the Ilitch Holdings’ family of businesses, the company’s primary business interests in the food, sports and entertainment industries include – Little Caesars Pizza, the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, Uptown Entertainment, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, MotorCity Casino and a variety of venues within these entities."



• Official Press Releases available in the "Media Room" on the Ilitch Holdings, Inc.. Web site (there are several) even have the MotorCity Casino logo among the various Ilitch brands incorporated into the Ilitch Holdings, Inc. masthead (see graphic above) including an official press release issued on behalf of Ilitch Childrens Chairities.
  http://www.ilitchholdings.com/Portals/0/ILITCH_HOLDINGS_TO_EXPAND_DEVELOPMENT_EFFORTS.pdf
  http://www.ilitchholdings.com/Portals/0/icc.pdf
  


• Then there's the matter of IH Gaming, Inc. formed in 1997 and apparently still active which would appear to stand for Ilitch Holdings Gaming.
  


• John Kotlar, both resident agent and Vice President of Tax Affairs for Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and also resident agent for Detroit Tigers, Inc., is also the resident agent for IH Gaming, Inc.; CCM Merger, Inc. (parent of Detroit Entertainment LLC of which MotorCity Casino is a d/b/a), Atwater Casino Group LLC; Z.R.X. LLC; and various other entities formed or aquired as part of the Ilitch ownership in casino ventures over the years. And it is noted that those entities have registered official addresses with the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth at the headquarters of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., 2211 WOODWARD AVE, DETROIT MI 48201. Kotlar's official bio on the Ilitch Holdings Web site fails to mention his involvement with these Ilitch owned gambling entities.
  


• Marian Ilitch, reportedly the sole owner and perhaps Chairwoman of MotorCity Casino which is a d/b/a for Detroit Entertainment LLC is also the Vice Chairwoman of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. She and her husband Mike Ilitch co-founded Little Caesars Pizza and co-own the Detroit Red Wings.
  


• And finally a recent Free Press story indicated that Ilitch Holdings, Inc. CEO and President Christopher Ilitch is a member of the MotorCity Casino Management Committee. Christopher Ilitch's official bio on the Ilitch Holdings, Inc. Web site fails to mention his official involvement with MotorCity Casino.

They can say all they want that there's no mingling of business interests -- that the Casino operations are distinct and separate from Ilitch Holdings, Inc. -- but there are red flags all over the place that suggest something different.

Just because an Ilitch or an Ilitch representative says something doesn't mean it's so. What it means is that's what they want you to -- or need you to -- believe.
To suggest that MotorCity Casino (Detroit Entertainment LLC/CCM Merger Inc) is distinct from and not a part of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is questionable at best.

Ilitch ups Tigers payroll to $130 million

12.09.07

Tigers owner spending generously to win now
Ilitch, 78, established Little Caesar's Pizza and owns the Red Wings

By Jim Salisbury
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

PHILADELPHIA -- Meddlesome owners can drive general managers a little crazy. But there isn't a GM in baseball who wouldn't welcome this kind of meddling.

It was just before Thanksgiving. Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was catching up on the coverage of baseball's hot stove season and couldn't help but notice that the Florida Marlins were taking offers on slugging third baseman Miguel Cabrera.

Ilitch called Dave Dombrowski, his team's president and GM, and asked whether the Tigers were interested.

Of course, Dombrowski said, the Tigers had interest. (Who wouldn't want a 24-year-old who has averaged 31 homers and 115 RBI the last four seasons?)

But that interest was tempered by the large price tag the Marlins had put on Cabrera. They wanted big prospects in return, and Cabrera figured to make more than $10 million in arbitration this winter, a sizable paycheck with the Tigers' payroll already approaching $110 million.

None of this bothered Ilitch.

"If there's something you can do, maybe we push our situation and see if we can make it work," Ilitch told Dombrowski.

That was code for: Go get Miguel Cabrera. Go get a World Series championship -- now.

And so Dombrowski, who had previously thought his wintertime wheeling and dealing was complete, showed up at the winter meetings Monday and immediately initiated talks with the Marlins.

The Tigers also sought lefthanded pitcher Dontrelle Willis in the deal. They presented a staggering package of six prospects, including two of the best in baseball, lefty Andrew Miller, 22, and center fielder Cameron Maybin, 20.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the deal was agreed upon and the Tigers had the look of a powerhouse club ready to get back to the World Series for the second time in three years.

"We made this trade to win now," Dombrowski said.

Tigers fans were so pleased with the deal that they purchased nearly $1.3 million worth of tickets on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Detroit News.

The excitement started with a phone call from the owner, the blessing to give up two prospects whose combined draft price tag was about $7 million, and a willingness to hike the 2008 payroll to close to $130 million.

"Not to say that we didn't have interest, but Mike Ilitch calling and saying, 'Why don't you see if you can be open-minded to that, if there's something we can work out?' kind of inched it along a little bit," Dombrowski said.

Ilitch, the founder of the Little Caesar's Pizza empire, also owns the Detroit Red Wings. He has already hoisted the Stanley Cup. At age 78, he clearly believes it's time to put a World Series ring on his finger.

Now he owns a baseball team capable of getting him one.

Willis joins Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson in a solid rotation that will benefit from plenty of offensive support.

The Tigers were second in the AL in runs (887) and slugging (.458) last season. With Cabrera likely to hit fifth behind Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez, they could be even more explosive in 2008.

"If you don't pitch well, they'll let you know," Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

"I bet there are some lefthanded pitchers that aren't too excited in the American League," said Boston manager Terry Francona, taking a look at the big right-handed bats of Sheffield, Ordonez and Cabrera in the middle of the Tigers' order.

"The American League has got a lot of good teams. And when you go through cities like Detroit, if your pitching is not in line, they cannot just beat you; they can beat you up and hurt you for about a week because they just maul you. There's no letup."

After 12 straight losing seasons, the Tigers won 95 games in 2006 and got to the World Series, where they lost to St. Louis. Last season, the Tigers did not make the playoffs. To get back there, they will have to contend with Cleveland, the defending AL Central champion, and even AL East stalwarts Boston and the New York Yankees, who annually contend for the division and wild-card titles.

AL teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians and Angels are so good that a team must act boldly, like the Tigers did, if they want to get to the playoffs. Hence, the Tigers' decision to give up top prospects, hike their payroll, and go for it now.

Trying to keep up with the Red Sox and Yankees is one reason the American League is superior to the National League.

"They have set the bar high," said Lou Piniella, who manages the NL's Chicago Cubs. "I think these American League teams say to themselves, 'Boy, if we want to get where they are, we've got to improve.' You've got to get after it. That's exactly what Detroit did."

And it all started with ownership.

Tigers running lottery at Comerica Park

12.02.07

Tigers lottery? MLB eases up, a bit, on gambling

By Bill Shea
Crain's Detroit

Feeling like a little game of chance at Comerica Park?

Two kiosks at the stadium this past season sold $5 scratch-off Michigan Lottery tickets emblazoned with the Detroit Tigers logo. Prizes varied up to $100,000, and included team merchandise and even season tickets.

Legalized gambling, once unthinkable in relation to Major League Baseball, has gradually gained limited acceptance in the game as a source of revenue. The same Major League Baseball that once banned Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle for being associated with casinos has cautiously embraced advertising and sponsorships from various legalized gambling outlets — provided the casinos or lotteries don't permit betting on games.

Betting at games and betting on games is the crucial difference.

But those who keep tabs on the business side of the game agree that baseball is more tolerant of some forms of legalized gambling, especially when there is money to be made for teams and American culture has come to increasingly accept casinos and lotteries.

"Baseball will continue to change the configuration of its rules as their business practices shift and change. Their views on things that may have been taboo in the past change," said Maury Brown, president of Portland, Ore.-based Business of Sports Network, which includes a Web site devoted to the business side of baseball. "There's definitely a softening of (prohibitions against legalized gambling) in baseball."

New York-based lottery ticket maker Scientific Games Inc. spent more than six years trying to persuade baseball to sign a deal to allow team logos on state lottery scratch-offs, said Steve Saferin, vice president and president of properties. The company has licensing deals with Ford Motor Co., Chrysler L.L.C. and a variety of popular culture icons such as the TV show "American Idol."

"Lotteries now are in all but seven states and are viewed by a lot of people as a legitimate way to raise money for good causes," he said.

Finally, in 2006 the team owners unanimously approved a five-year deal.

The commissioner's office and the team owners' primary concern was the question of permitting any form of gambling in connection with the game, Saferin said. The memory of Pete Rose's lifetime banishment in 1989 for betting on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds is still very much alive.

"A scratch-off lottery ticket is about as far from betting on teams as you could get," Saferin said, noting that the National Basketball Association and National Hockey Association already had deals with Scientific Games.

"The league decided this is a legitimate way for teams to generate incremental revenue. It got easier the past three years because a lot of other people had embraced the lottery category, including sports. It was difficult. They've come to the realization that their position needs to be more finely tuned. The real problem is sports betting. This is not sports betting."

Commissioner Bud Selig wanted a unanimous vote from the owners to OK the lottery tickets deal, Saferin said. The approval from owners was also to change MLB's bylaws that forbid team logos on lottery tickets.

Scientific Games rolled out the MLB tickets last year with a Boston Red Sox instant game. This year, 22 teams participated and Scientific Games printed about 175 million tickets since games began.

The Tigers-themed scratch-off tickets were a success this year, lottery officials said.

Since going on sale April 2, about $10 million worth of the scratch-off Tigers lottery tickets have been sold, the state said, which is about 10 percent higher than average $5 tickets sales. Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons scratch-offs have also been sold in the past.

The lottery reported fiscal year 2007 annual sales of $2.3 billion.

Each team receives a cut of the money that Scientific Games paid MLB for the rights to the team logos. Neither MLB nor Scientific Games would say how much the deal is worth, but it's believed to be in the millions of dollars. Teams also got money from local marketing Scientific Games did in each market, Saferin said.

Susan Goodenow, Major League Baseball's vice president of business public relations, declined to comment on the lottery tickets.

Rob Matwick, Tigers vice president of communications, said the team has had an advertising relationship with the lottery for several years, but the scratch-off promotion was through Major League Baseball.

A veteran of more than 20 years in baseball, Matwick said he's seen a shift in attitude about some forms of gambling.

"From an advertising and sponsorship standpoint, it's less restrictive than it used to be," he said. MotorCity Casino and MGM Grand Casino each advertise at Comerica Park. That's allowed because neither offers sports wagering.

"There are still prohibitions that are still in place that have to do with casinos," Matwick said, noting casinos are not permitted to show such things as playing cards or slot machines in stadium advertising.

MotorCity Casino is owned by Marian Ilitch, wife of Tigers owner Mike Ilitch. Baseball forbids its team owners from having a stake in casinos, but the Ilitches say she was never an owner, and baseball agrees — a position with its share of critics, including ex-Commissioner Fay Vincent.

Mike Dietz, president and director of Dietz Trott Sports & Entertainment in Bingham Farms, spent 17 years with Ilitch Holdings Inc., which includes the Tigers and Red Wings. He believes money from legal gambling is a natural source of revenue for sports leagues. Baseball reached a record $6 billion in revenue last year, thanks in part to gambling-related advertising and sponsorships.

"Everything costs more — to field a team, to give fans what they want. There are a lot of bills to pay and a lot of reasons to be open-minded about new sources of revenue," he said. There's only so many (sponsors) and so many are cutting back."

So what does the future hold for baseball and legalized gambling?

Business of Sports Network's Brown thinks it will be driven by profits.

"Are we going to see video poker at the ball park? I don't know. In 20 years, it wouldn't surprise me," he said. "Baseball has gotten wise and smart about how to extract revenue out of things other than baseball. It's a much more sophisticated league."

And perhaps another sign of shifting attitudes: Baseball's 2008 winter meeting will be held in Las Vegas.

Bill Shea: (313) 446-1626, bshea@crain.com

Tiger lottery facts:

• New York-based Scientific Games Inc. spent more than six years persuading Major League Baseball to allow team logos on state lottery scratch-off tickets. Other lottery games from Scientific include scratch-offs featuring Chevy, Dodge, Jeep, Lincoln, NASCAR, NBA, NHL, "American Idol," Hershey's and TV Guide.



• Point-of-sale and broadcast advertising for the Detroit Tigers instant game was done by Troy-based ad agency Simons Michelson Zieve Inc., which has done lottery work since 2005.
  

Ilitch represents his mother at opening of MotorCity Casino's hotel

11.28.07

Ilitch Holdings President and CEO Christopher Ilitch, left, welcomes Edwin Davis of Dearborn and his fiancée, Annette Kjelstad of Norway, to the grand opening of the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.

Ilitch, a member of the MotorCity Casino management committee was apparently representing his mother Marian Ilitch who is said to own 100% of MotorCity Casino.

Marian Ilitch reportedly borrowed $1 billion in 2005 to: acquire the gambling hall from MGM Mirage/Mandalay Resort Group and other minor investors; to cover the costs of the $300 million casino expansion; and to begin repaying certain other of these debts. At the time MotorCity Casino was valued at $1 billion.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/ENT11/711290347/1002/BUSINESS

http://prn.newscom.com/cgi-bin/pub/s?f=PRN/prnpub&p1=20071129/CLTH037&xtag=PRN-prnphotos-67306&redir=preview&tr=1&row=1

MLB's Rule 21: Misconduct; gambling prohibitions

MAJOR LEAGUE RULES

Rule 21
MISCONDUCT

(a) MISCONDUCT IN PLAYING BASEBALL. Any player or person onnected with a club who shall promise or agree to lose, or to attempt to lose, or to fail to give his best efforts towards the winning of any baseball game with which he is or may be in any way concerned; or who shall intentionally fail to give his best efforts towards the winning of any such baseball game, or who shall solicit or attempt to induce any player or person connected with a club to lose, or attempt to lose, or to fail to give his best efforts towards the winning of any baseball game with which such other player or person is or may be in any way connected; or who, being solicited by any person, shall fail to inform his Major League President and the Commissioner.

(b) GIFT FOR DEFEATING COMPETING CLUB. Any player or person connected with a club who shall offer or give any gift or reward to a player or person connected with another club for services rendered or supposed to be or to have been rendered in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing club, and any player or person connected with a club who shall solicit or accept from a player connected with another club any gifts or reward for any such services rendered, or supposed to have been rendered, or who having been offered any such gift or reward, shall fail to inform his League President or the Commissioner immediately of such offer, and of all facts and circumstances therewith, shall be declared ineligible for not less than three (3) years.

(c) GIFTS TO UMPIRES. Any player or person connected with a club, who shall give, or offer to give, any gift or reward to an umpire for services rendered, or supposed to be or to have been rendered, in defeating or attempting to defeat a competing club, or for the umpire's decision on anything connected with the playing of a baseball game; and any umpire who shall render, or promise or agree to render, any such decision otherwise than on its merits, or who shall solicit or accept such gifts or reward, or having been solicited to render any such decision otherwise than on its merits, shall fail to inform the League President or the Commissioner immediately of such offer or solicitation, and all facts and circumstances therewith, shall be declared permanently ineligible.

(d) BETTING ON BALL GAMES. Any player, umpire, or club official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform shall be declared ineligible for one year.

Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.

(e) VIOLENCE OR MISCONDUCT IN INTERLEAGUE GAMES. In case of any physical attack or other violence upon an umpire by a player, or by an umpire upon a player, or of other misconduct by an umpire or a player, during or in connection with any interleague Major League game or any exhibition game of a Major League Club with a club or team not a member of the same league, the Commissioner shall impose upon the offender or offenders such fine, suspension, ineligibility or other penalty, as the facts may warrant in the judgement of the Commissioner.

(f) OTHER MISCONDUCT. Nothing herein contained shall be construed as exclusively defining or otherwise limiting acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball; and any and all other acts, transactions, practices or conduct not to be in the best interests of Baseball are prohibited and shall be subject to such penalties, including permanent ineligibility, as the facts in the particular case may warrant.

(g) RULE TO BE KEPT POSTED. A printed copy of this Rule shall be kept posted in each clubhouse.

Long Island bloggers question link between Detroit Tigers and MotorCity Casino

as posted at SaveTheEastEnd.org, a committee monitoring the progress of a proposed Shinnecock Indian casino resort on Long Island in The Hamptons:

A Gambling Double Standard?

"Pete Rose cannot enter the Baseball Hall of Fame since he bet on baseball games. In retirement, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays couldn't associate with their ex-teams while working for casinos. Yet, baseball permits Michael Ilitch to own the Detroit Tigers and his wife, Marian, to own a 25 percent stake in the MotorCity Casino. What's wrong with this picture? The incongruity surfaces again in light of revelations last week that Marian Ilitch tried to buy a controlling interest in MotorCity, according to a new lawsuit filed against Ilitch by minority partners in the casino. Major League Baseball apparently couldn't care less. The fantasy is that Mike Ilitch bought the Tigers alone in 1992, even though he and Marian have been partners in their other business dealings, from their pizza business four decades ago to their joint ownership of the Detroit Red Wings. Apparently, nobody but Commissioner Bud Selig accepts an Ilitch rewriting of history that insists Marian never had a thing to do with the Tigers. But it's hard to sound credible when she was listed as an owner with Mike in Tigers media guides between 1993 and 1996." (Crain's Detroit Business, 2.21.05)

Tigers won't even make the playoffs in 2007

The 2006 American League Champion Detroit Tigers pulled off a win against the Minnesota Twins this week, due to a Yankees victory, the Tigers won't be headed to the playoffs or the World Series this year.

Despite the failure to land a lost in the playoffs this year, The Tigers head coach Jim Leyland said:

"he is enthused about the Tigers' future and feels good about the situation. 'I would venture to say that as long as Mr. (Mike) Ilitch is the owner, this club will operate pretty darn good,' Leyland said. 'We have a man at the top who is very flexible and a general manager that leaves no stone unturned. So we'll see how it works out.' "

Ilitch among wealthiest owners of sports teams

9.23.07

The Hot List

Forbes Magazine listed the 400 richest men in America, but who in the sports world cracked the list? Here's a look at the richest owners in sports, and yes, George Steinbrenner makes an appearance:

(Owner, Net Worth)

1. Paul Allen $16.8B
   Owns Seattle Seahwaks and Portland Trail Blazers
   


2. Micky Arison $5.8B
   Owns Miami Heat
   


3. William Davidson $4.5B
   Owns Detroit Pistons, WNBA's Detroit Shock and NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.
   


4. Dolan family $3.2B
   Owns Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers.
   


5. Carl Pohlad $3.1B
   Owns Minnesota Twins
   


6. Simon Family $2.9B
   Owns Indiana Pacers.
   


7. Glen Taylor $2.7B
   Owns Minnesota Timberwolves.
   


8. Mark Cuban $2.6B
   Owns Dallas Mavericks
   


9. Malcolm Glazer & family $2.5B
   Owns Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Manchester United
   


10. H.Wayne Huizenga $2.5B
    Owns Miami Dolphins
    


11. E. Stanley Kroenke $2.2B
    Owns NHL's Avalanche, Denver Nuggets. Also stakes in St. Louis Rams, English soccer squad Arsenal
    


12. Michael Ilitch $1.6B
    Owns Detroit Red Wings/Detroit Tigers.
    


13. Randolph Lerner $1.6B
    Owns Cleveland Browns and English soccer team Birmingham
    


14. Arthur Blank $1.5B
    Owns Atlanta Falcons
    


15. Jeremy Jacobs $1.5B
    Owns Boston Bruins
    


16. O. Bruton Smith $1.5B
    Founded Speedway Motorsports
    


17. Jerral (Jerry) Jones $1.5B
    Owns Dallas Cowboys
    


18. Robert McNair $1.5B
    Owns Houston Texans, majority stake in Stonerside Stables, home of the Kentucky Derby.
    


19. James France $1.5B
    Owns Daytona Speedway, controls Nascar
    


20. Robert Kraft $1.4B
    Owns Patriots and New England Revolution
    


21. George M. Steinbrenner III $1.3B
    Owns Yankees
    


22. Thomas Hicks $1.3B
    Owns Texas Rangers and NHL's Dallas Stars, part owner of English Soccer team Liverpool
    


23. Stephen Bisciotti $1.3B
    Owns Baltimore Ravens
    


24. Michael Heisley $1.3B
    Owns Memphis Grizzlies

Giuliani scored with the Tigers; the Yankees didn't

Giuliani scored big bucks off the owners of the Detroit Tigers but his presence in Detroit sent the New York Yankees home without scoring a point.

At a fundraiser for his presidential campaign this week, Marian Ilitch, her husband Mike Ilitch and an associate who heads up various casino syndicates for Mrs. Ilitch, Michael Malik, hosted a presidential campaign fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani at their Fox Theater headquarters in Downtown Detroit and some 150 of their family, friends and associates paid $2,300 to meet the former New York Mayor.

Afterwards Marian Ilitch walked Giuliani across the street to Comerica Park where her family's Tigers were playing the Yankees. Rudy may have scored $345,000 for his presidential campaign but the Tigers shut-out the Yankees 16-to-0.

The Detroit Free Press reporters Giuliani had a similar effect on the Yankees when he attended a game between the Angels and Yankees after a recent L.A. fundraiser. That day the Angels scored 18 runs to the Yankees 9 runs.