3.27.09
Tom Celani makes bid for Greektown Casino
By Nancy Kaffer
Longtime Detroit casino advocate Tom Celani said he’s making a bid for the troubled Greektown Casino. Celani owns a host of business ventures including Luna Entertainment in Novi, Farmington Hills-based Motor City Harley-Davidson and Napa Valley, Calif.-based Celani Family Vineyards.
Longtime Detroit casino advocate Tom Celani said he’s making a bid for the troubled Greektown Casino. Celani owns a host of business ventures including Luna Entertainment in Novi, Farmington Hills-based Motor City Harley-Davidson and Napa Valley, Calif.-based Celani Family Vineyards.
He was instrumental in financing a 1996 statewide ballot referendum that approved gaming in Michigan, according to a 2007 Crain’s profile of Celani, and once was a partner in MotorCity Casino L.L.C., selling his share to current owner Marian Ilitch in 2005.
Greektown Casino entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008, but Celani said he believes the casino can emerge profitably.
“With the right people in place, absolutely,” he said. “But you’ve got to put the right people in place. The best option would be someone like myself that lives here and has a passion for gaming.”
The Greektown offer is a joint venture between Celani and Greenwich, Conn.-based Plainfield Asset Management L.L.C., Celani said, as LPF Holdings. Celani says he is competing against other bidders in the process.
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