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Spring 2013 • <strong>Group</strong><strong>Tour</strong>.com<br />
40<br />
M i CHi GAn<br />
Let it ride<br />
Gun Lake Casino<br />
offers plenty<br />
of opportunities<br />
to strike it rich<br />
Gun Lake Casino is a hotspot to join<br />
in on the bright and glittery ranks of<br />
gaming.<br />
The 78,000-square-foot casino, located<br />
between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo<br />
just off U.S. 131, is a $165 million<br />
facility on 147 wooded acres featuring 28<br />
table games, 1,500 slot machines, dining,<br />
entertainment and a gift shop in Wayland<br />
Township near Wayland, said Laura<br />
Kaminski, the casino’s slot marketing coordinator.<br />
Gun Lake Casino is owned by the<br />
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of<br />
Photo: Station Casinos<br />
Gun Lake Casino features 28 gaming tables<br />
and 1,500 slot machines.<br />
GROUP THERAPY<br />
You’ll fall in love<br />
Michigan’s<br />
Upper Peninsula<br />
UPtravel.com • 800-562-7134<br />
Contact Fred Huffman<br />
groups@uptravel.com<br />
Photo: Station Casinos<br />
Gun Lake Casino is located between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, just off Exit 61 on U.S. 131.<br />
Pottawatomi Indians. The casino is operated<br />
by the tribe’s management partner,<br />
MPM Enterprises, LLC, which is owned<br />
by an affiliate of Las Vegas-based Station<br />
Casinos Inc., and private investors from<br />
Michigan.<br />
Amenities include the 225-seat Sandhill<br />
Café, a 24-hour eatery with traditional<br />
tribal recipes on its menu such<br />
as bread, wild rice soup and potato-encrusted<br />
Great Lake walleye. The restaurant<br />
is named after the sandhill crane,<br />
a migratory bird holding cultural and<br />
spiritual significance for the tribe.<br />
The 125-seat food court includes Villa<br />
Fresh Italian Kitchen, Johnny Rockets,<br />
Tim Hortons and Cold Stone Creamery.<br />
Stage 121 is a 40-seat lounge with<br />
entertainment. Crossroads is a 24-seat<br />
gathering area with video poker and slot<br />
machines on the bar top. Appliques Gift<br />
Shop sells Gun Lake souvenirs and tribal<br />
artisan merchandise.<br />
The casino offers packages to groups<br />
with at least 25 people and a minimum<br />
four-hour stay. Reservations and arrangements<br />
must be made at least 72<br />
hours in advance by telephone or online.<br />
The casino’s design is contemporary,<br />
inspired by the tribe’s culture and surrounding<br />
landscape, Kaminski said. Materials<br />
include batik and Jerusalem gold<br />
limestone, with dark walnut wood finishes<br />
also incorporating textured earth<br />
tones, basket weave elements, copper and<br />
beadwork.<br />
“Gun Lake Casino exudes the feel of<br />
an upscale lounge with the warm, comfortable<br />
and inviting appeal of a living<br />
room,” Kaminski said. Since opening in<br />
February 2011, the casino has paid out<br />
millions of dollars in jackpots. In addition,<br />
it has distributed more than $27<br />
million with the state, local governments<br />
schools and others as part of its local<br />
revenue-sharing agreement, said D.K.<br />
Sprague, tribal chairman, in a statement.<br />
The casino employs more than 800<br />
people, and hired additional team members<br />
since opening “to maintain the<br />
highest level of guest service,” said Carter<br />
Pavey, marketing director.•<br />
Gun Lake Casino<br />
(269) 792-7560<br />
www.gunlakecasino.com<br />
Lake of the Clouds<br />
Reader Service Card #348<br />
UP30331 Spring <strong>Group</strong> <strong>Tour</strong>7.25x2.25.indd 1 12/19/12 4:15 PM
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