Michigan's Gun Lake Casino invests $300M to become a hotel resort

Gun Lake Casino has revealed a $300 million project to transform its property near Wayland, Michigan into a hotel resort.

The expansion is expected to include a 250-key, four-diamond hotel with suites, rooms, a restaurant and a full-service spa, as reported by WOOD. The casino also plans to create its own version of a year-round island oasis with a pool enclosed in a glass dome, hot tub, private cabanas and a “nightlife entertainment space” with live music, DJs and dancing.

Gun Lake Casino is in the midst of a $100 million expansion, which will add two restaurants and space for an additional 450 slot machines, 12 new table games and a larger nonsmoking area. The venue is already home to more than 2,200 slot machines, 47 table games, a café, buffet, bars, lounges, live entertainment stage and a sports betting area that opened earlier this year.

Gun Lake Casino President and Chief Operating Officer Sal Semola said the project is the largest in the casino’s 10-year history and will support the surrounding community by providing more jobs. Nearby cities and townships also benefit from Gun Lake Casino’s growth through revenue sharing, which has totaled $35 million over the casino’s decade in business, according to the Gun Lake Tribe.

The amenities announced Monday will take shape on approximately 250,000-square-feet of property between the current casino and US-131. The Gun Lake Tribe expects to begin the newly announced expansion as soon as its current construction project wraps up, which is expected to happen late this summer.

The casino has generated $2.8 billion for Michigan’s economy since it opened on Feb. 10, 2011, according to a report released by the tribe in February. In that report, the group said it has invested $415 million in the casino while directly paying $502 million in wages.