In what it says will be “the largest expansion in the history of the property,” the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, or Gun Lake Tribe, has unveiled a $300 million project that will see its Gun Lake Casino in Allegan County transformed into a hotel resort with “endless amenities.”
President and Chief Operating Officer for Gun Lake Casino, Sal Semola said in a Monday statement…
“It is with great pride that we reveal the largest expansion in Gun Lake Casino’s history. Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the reputation as a leading entertainment and gaming destination in Michigan,” according to local news media.
Project details:
The federally recognized Michigan tribe’s plans include the addition of 250,000 square feet, which will see the property extended west toward U.S. 131. The details of the project as reported by local news agencies include a 4-diamond hotel with 250 luxury suites and rooms, a full-service spa, and an all-new, three-meal restaurant.
Also included in the expansion is what the tribe says will be “the area’s first fully enclosed glass-domed pool and nightlife entertainment space.” To be open year-round, the addition(s) will allow guests to enjoy a pool, hot tub, and private cabanas which are available to reserve during the day. In the evening, the area will become “the ultimate nightlife scene,” featuring DJs, live music and dancing, according to the announcement on the casino’s Facebook page.
“We are proud of the continued growth of Gun Lake Casino which is directly connected to the outstanding effort of our team members,” Gun Lake Tribe Chairman Bob Peters said in a statement, as reported by Fox 17. “The tribe remains steadfastly committed to reinvest in our collective future, for the benefit of tribal citizens, team members and the local community. This will provide even more employment opportunities and enhance Gun Lake Casino’s position as a tourism driver for western Michigan.”
Current expansion:
Work on the new project will reportedly begin upon completion of a $100 million expansion announced in October 2019, which is expected to open at the end of 2021. One of multiple expansions since opening in 2011, the current build-on includes a 76,000-square-foot addition to the casino, which will bring it to 228,000 square feet, with an additional 450 slot machines, 12 new table games, a larger non-smoking area, and increased capacity to the area known as Stage 131 and additional upscale dining options.
Anniversary announcement:
In February this year, the Gun Lake Tribe announced the ten-year anniversary of the casino that opened to the public on February 10, 2011, and that to date, has invested $415 million into the Wyland casino, and in total, has generated $2.8 billion to the Great Lakes State’s economy in the last 10 years.
In a statement in the press release, Tribal Chairman Peters said…
“This is a proud milestone for the Gun Lake Tribe, our team members, and the supporters in this community who played an integral role in Gun Lake Casino becoming a reality. As illustrated in the ten-year economic impact report we released today, the Casino provided $2.8 billion to Michigan’s economy in the last ten years. We intend to protect this economic engine for many more years to come.”
According to the tribal presser, to date, the tribe has paid out approximately $5 million in annual wages to its nearly 1,000 team members in gaming operations and has directly paid over $410 million in wages to employees over the last ten years.
Located off Exit 61 on U.S. 131, halfway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Gun Lake Casino is owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians and is operated by the Tribe’s management partner, MPM Enterprises, LLC, owned by an affiliate of Station Casinos, Inc. and private investors from Michigan.
- Additional
- Affiliate
- announced
- Announcement
- AREA
- Billion
- Capacity
- Casino
- Casinos
- chairman
- chief
- Chief Operating Officer
- community
- county
- Current
- day
- driver
- Economic
- Economic Impact
- economy
- employees
- employment
- Entertainment
- Exit
- expansion
- Feet
- First
- future
- Games
- gaming
- great
- Growth
- history
- hotel
- HTTPS
- image
- Impact
- Inc.
- integral
- Investors
- IT
- leading
- LLC
- local
- Machines
- management
- Media
- Members
- Michigan
- million
- Monday
- Music
- news
- News agencies
- news media
- Officer
- open
- operating
- Operations
- Options
- partner
- pool
- president
- press
- Press Release
- private
- project
- property
- protect
- public
- Reality
- report
- restaurant
- Rooms
- SPA
- Space
- square
- Stage
- State
- Statement
- Tourism
- Tribal
- u.s.
- West
- WHO
- Work
- year
- years
