Greektown Casino has ejected about 30 video poker
players in recent weeks because they have become unprofitable
customers, casino officials said.

The players' winnings -- combined with cash-back incentives and freebies
-- are costing the casino, according to Greektown officials, who said the
casino would have to consider broader cost-cutting measures if it didn't
bar some gamblers.

"Our decision benefits 99.99 percent of our guests because it keeps
high-paying machines in play and it does not force us to reduce the very
generous comp, promotions and double-points programs that we offer,"
Greektown spokesman Roger Martin told The Detroit News for a Monday
story.

Greektown, which gets about 12,000 daily visitors, has the right to ban
anyone as long as it does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race,
handicap or other civil rights classes, according to casino regulators.

"We love winners, and this decision preserves the maximum opportunity
to win for our other 4.3 million guests," Martin said.

Casinos often bar gamblers who have too much luck at table games, but
industry observers said video poker players rarely are singled-out.

"It's virtually unprecedented that they'd bar video poker players in a
manner like this," said Anthony Curtis, editor of Las Vegas Advisor, a
consumer newsletter that tracks casino promotions and gambling trends.

Curtis said casinos usually are more likely to change video poker
machines, restrict video poker players' privileges or exclude them from
promotions.