Gun Lake Casino plans $100 million expansion

Gun Lake Casino plans $100 million expansion

WAYLAND — A 72,000-square-foot expansion at Gun Lake Casino will allow the operation to grow its gaming, restaurant and entertainment options. 

Preliminary site work for the $100 million project is currently underway. Gun Lake Casino expects construction to begin in the coming weeks, with an opening expected in summer of 2021. 

The expansion, which involves adding a new building to the south side of the current facility, will make way for an additional 450 slot machines, 12 new table games and a larger non-smoking area inside the casino, which opened in 2011. Gun Lake Casino also plans to double the size of its Stage 131 entertainment venue and add a pair of upscale restaurants with the project.

Including the current expansion, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, or Gun Lake Tribe, has invested $415 million into the facility. 

“We are proud of the effort of our team members that has driven the continued success of Gun Lake Casino and our Tribe’s contributions to Michigan’s economy in the last eight years,” Gun Lake Tribal Chairman Bob Peters said in a statement. “These expansion plans allow us to build on these efforts and provide even more employment opportunities and increased economic impact in our local communities.”

Lansing-based Clark Construction Co. is serving as construction manager of the project, which was designed by Hartford, Conn.-based JCJ Architecture PC

The build-out will involve a range of union labor and contractors, including members of the Michigan Building Trades, Southwest Building Trades Council and West Michigan Construction Alliance

In addition to an expected 300 construction-related jobs, the project will also allow Gun Lake Casino to hire an additional 125 people, according to a statement. 

The casino currently employs 1,100 people and features more than 2,000 slot machines, 47 table games and a high-limit room. The 156,000-square-foot facility also has a 225-seat cafe and 300-seat buffet restaurant, plus various bar areas.