The Gun Lake Tribe and Gun Lake Casino will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday to add a hotel and a resort to the entertainment complex in Wayland Township.
The expansion project, with an estimated cost of $300 million, will feature a 15-story, 252-room hotel on the west side of the casino and an Aquadome, which will include three pools inside a 32,000-square-foot glass dome.
The tribe has been entertaining plans for a hotel and resort for more than a year with the idea of making the facility “an entertainment destination of the Midwest.” The casino announced plans for a hotel and entertainment a year ago in April.
It was only eight months ago that the casino celebrated completion of a $100 million project for three new restaurants, CBK, Shkode Chophouse and 131 Sportsbar and Lounge, more casino floor space, 500 slot machines, and more than a dozen table games.
Officials said that since the casino opened in 2011, visitors planning a longer stay have had to find hotels and lodging elsewhere.
Officials also project that this latest expansion is expected to have a $650 million impact on the economy.
The casino is located on 129th Avenue just west of Bradley at off exit No. 61 on the U.S.-131 expressway.