- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Gaming
WAYLAND, Mich. — Gun Lake Casino plans to open its retail sportsbook on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The casino’s Stage 131 Sportsbook and Lounge, named after the adjacent U.S. 131 highway, will be operated in partnership with Bensalem, Pa.-based Parx Casino.
The gaming venture of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, or Gun Lake Tribe, first announced the sportsbetting partnership with Parx in March.
Casino patrons will place bets at a new sports betting counter inside Stage 131 or at self-serve kiosks throughout the casino, which is located about 25 miles south of Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city.
“Our dedication to provide an exceptional sports betting experience stems from our continued reputation of top quality entertainment,” Jose Flores, vice president and general manager of Gun Lake Casino, said in a statement. “We have worked diligently to create a comfortable and exciting atmosphere within Stage 131 Sportsbook and Lounge for all guests interested in sports betting.”
Guests can bet on a range of sports, including professional and college football, basketball, baseball, golf, hockey, soccer, boxing, mixed martial arts and tennis, among others.
The addition of the sportsbook is part of a $100 million expansion project underway at Gun Lake Casino. The project includes a 72,000-square-foot expansion to the facility, which also will make room for additional 450 slot machines, 12 new table games and two up-scale restaurants.
Stage 131 doubled in size as part of the project and now features dozens of TVs for broadcasting games, along with available food and drink options.
Michigan legalized sports betting as part of legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2019. The bill also allows online sports betting and iGaming, but state regulators are still involved in the rulemaking process. The state aims to finalize the rules for online gaming and sports betting by early 2021 or sooner, according to reports.
In the months since legalization, tribes from across the state have forged partnerships with national and international gaming brands to operate their sportsbooks and iGaming platforms.
Gun Lake and Parx look to expand into online options once rules are approved by regulators.
With the opening of Stage 131, Parx Casino now operates sportsbooks in three states.
Because sports betting is still new to the state, Flores said the sportsbook’s staff will focus on supporting guests “who are new to this entertainment option.”
