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CEO of Casino Operator Continues Fight to Build Property in Detroit

``Barden has been on a roll, gathering plaques and praise across the country. But he still doesn't have the thing he most wanted: a casino in Detroit.

``Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer rejected Barden's application for a Detroit casino in 1997. Barden sued, but lost.

``…Barden says he's still angry about being turned down for a casino. 'I deserved a fair shot in my hometown. . . . I'm not obsessed with it, but I'm not bashful letting people know that I got screwed and the city got screwed. You've got $400 million in casino profits leaving the city.'

``Barden said he had hoped to become the first black billionaire in Michigan, and the Donald Trump of Detroit. He wanted to reinvest casino money in the city, building lofts and housing and other projects, he said. "I always wanted to be the catalyst," he said. His goal: To rebuild the city.

``Now, as the owner of four casinos outside Michigan, people still expect him to bring his money home and reinvest it in Detroit. 'It makes me mad. Don't ask me to give my money away here,' he said. 'Go ask those people who got the casinos.'…"

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