In a special report in Sunday's N.Y. TIMES entitled
"Gambling With Their Games," Murray Chass examined the
relationship between pro team owners and operating casinos.
Marian Ilitch, co-Owner of the Red Wings with her husband,
Michael, who also owns the Tigers, "faces no roadblocks in
her ownership of a share of one of three casinos coming to
downtown Detroit." Despite being listed as a Tigers co-
Owner in the team's media guide from '93 to '97, "when she
became involved with the Circus Circus casino project last
year, she denied having any share in the Tigers." MLB
Acting Commissioner Bud Selig said Marian Ilitch "is not now
nor ever has been an owner of the Tigers." But Selig added,
"Do we have concerns? Yes, if this thing comes close to
being a reality, we will address a significant number of our
concerns. There will be certain conditions and facts we
want to know." The NHL has said that "it has no problem"
with Ilitch joining Circus Circus "because it will not have
a sports book." NHL Senior VP/Legal Affairs William Daly:
"I don't know if it's fair to say we're not bothered by
casinos. As a general statement, that's fair. We're trying
to build in additional protection to distance ourselves from
casinos." That has led to the NHL barring owners of any new
expansion franchise "from having casino interest even though
the casinos might not have sports books" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/18).
TIGER BEAT: Chass added that the "perception existed
for five years" that Marian Ilitch was a Tigers owner and
"neither she nor the Tigers did anything to puncture that
perception." Selig said MLB's files showed that she never
owned any part of the team. Chass: "That would seem to put
her beyond baseball's policy on gambling ventures, but
besides being the owner's wife, she is intimately involved
in every other business enterprise the Ilitches have." One
MLB official: "We can't tell her what she can do, but we've
made it clear to Mike we don't want our rules being
indirectly violated" (Murray Chass, N.Y. TIMES, 1/18).
