Mon Aug 13, 10:18 AM ET

Construction is shown on the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Monday, July 9, 2007. While getting people to think of Detroit as a regional gambling Mecca might be a longshot, casino officials and tourism promoters are working to trumpet the arrival of the city's permanent casinos to a wider audience. With 1,200 new luxury hotel rooms and thousands of square feet of convention space to fill, they're gambling on the idea that visitors will find more to like about the much-maligned city than simply gaming. Collectively, Greektown, MotorCity and the MGM Grand Detroit casinos are spending $1.5 billion to develop their new gambling palaces. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.