“We’re kind of right in the dead center of those three” casinos, said St. Pleasant is 84 miles north of Grand Rapids.
Jean, but the Gun Lake Casino’s proximity to both the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo population centers is clearly an advantage. “We split the Kalamazoo market with Firekeepers, obviously,” said St. Jean said there are three primary competitors to the Gun Lake Casino, all of them owned and operated by Native American tribes: The Four Winds Casino Resort in Michigan’s far southwest corner at New Buffalo, the Firekeepers Casino near Battle Creek, and Soaring Eagle in Mt. The impressive two-story façade is clearly visible from the expressway, particularly the northbound lanes.
The 83,000-square-foot, $165 million casino, built on the foundation of a former industrial plant, looks nothing at all like a factory. Because of that, it will be about half the size originally proposed years ago, but designed for expansion. The nearly 10 years of legal attempts to block the casino - including efforts by business interests based in Grand Rapids - finally ended in a victory for the tribe in 2009, just as the Great Recession was leveling the economic landscape. The tribe is not currently planning to build a hotel there, said St. The Gun Lake Casino will have more than 1,400 slots and 28 table games, plus a 225-seat café and a food court.
