Gun Lake Casino’s $300M expansion to feature 15-story hotel, large-scale ‘aquadome’

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Gun Lake Casino is hosting a groundbreaking Thursday for a $300 million expansion that will bring a 15-story, 252-room hotel and a 32,000-square-foot “aquadome” containing three pools.

The expansion, first announced in April 2021, is expected to be complete by March 2025, said Gun Lake Casino spokesperson Zach Harig. The expansion, according to a news release, aims to transform the casino “into the entertainment destination of the Midwest.”

He said building a hotel at the casino has “been a goal for the tribe for a number of years.”

Harig declined to discuss the project in detail prior to Thursday’s groundbreaking.

A news release issued last year announcing the expansion said the hotel is expected to offer luxury suites, a full-service spa and a restaurant.

The aquadome is expected to include three pools — one for families, another for guests who are 21 and older, and another for VIP guests. Last year’s news release said guests could reserve private cabanas, and that at night there will be live music, DJs, dancing and more, the release said.

Opened in 2011, Gun Lake Casino features over 2,500 slots, 47 table games, and three restaurants.

In September, the casino opened a 72,000-square-foot expansion featuring more seating for live concerts and sporting events, additional gaming space, outdoor fire-lit entertainment and dining space, enhanced exterior features, and the ability for a guest to place wagers on sporting events.

Gun Lake Casino is owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi.