Greektown Casino laid off 89 employees Monday as part of $7.8 million in reorganization cuts.

Most of the furloughed employees work on table games, and 70 are part-time employees, said Greektown Casino spokesman Roger Martin.

None of the 70 table games offered — such as craps, blackjack and poker — will be cut, Martin said. “They consolidated pits. It’s a move to increase efficiency,” he said.

Martin would not say how much was saved through the layoffs. He said more cuts are coming but would not specify the number. The casino has 1,900 workers in all.

Employees will have priority to return to the casino when job openings occur, according to a Greektown Casino statement.

Casino officials said the casino is expected to add 400 employees to staff its 400-room hotel, scheduled to open early next year.

Greektown Casino filed for bankruptcy protection May 29 as unpaid bills mounted and contractors threatened to abandon the hotel and casino expansion.

A spokesman for the UAW, which represents casino employees, could not be reached for comment.

Since the Chapter 11 filing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Walter Shapero and the Michigan Gaming Control Board have approved $51.3 million in interim financing to help Greektown Casino continue construction on its casino and hotel. The casino expects to emerge from bankruptcy protection on Sept. 1, 2009.

On Wednesday, Shapero will consider approving $150 million in financing for operations and the completion of the hotel and 25,000-square-foot gaming floor expansion.

On Monday, Shapero approved payments for Greektown Casino’s utilities, and new emergency payments for construction bills. Utility payments average about $293,000 a month.

Shapero also approved $1.4 million in payments for new construction bills that were not included in an emergency payment made to construction workers earlier this month.

 Free Press